Family Life
by NJ Coffee Queen
Summary: News of Draco Malfoy's divorce gives two young children the hope of a new family.
1. Chapter 1

It's been a little while since I've had anything new to post, but now I do! Would you believe I still own nothing? Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 1

"About time," Scorpius Malfoy muttered. Open before him was _The Daily Prophet_, and the front page headline proclaimed his parents' divorce. Beside him, Rose Weasley frowned at his reaction. The little blond-haired boy rolled his eyes as he turned the page. "What? We both know they don't love each other. We both know they never should have gotten married. Why it took them twelve years to figure it out, I'll never know."

"You wouldn't be here if they never married," she pointed out, flipping her long red locks over her shoulder.

Scorpius shrugged, wondering if it would have been better had he never been born. Perhaps his mother and father would have realized sooner that they were wrong for each. Maybe they would be happy. They might even be friends if they didn't have to be husband and wife. The first year Ravenclaw scowled at the thought. He had ruined his parents' lives.

"Your parents are divorced," he commented. "Did that make things better?"

Rose rolled her brown eyes. "You say divorced, I say abandoned," she retorted. The only child of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Rose barely knew her father. Two years after she had been born, Ron left. Her mother never spoke of him and never remarried. Ron, however, had. She had seen it in the paper; the engagement announcement, the wedding photos, and her half-brother's birth were newsworthy stories. "I don't know. I think it's better this way, just Mum and me."

Scorpius nodded and put the newspaper away so he could finish his breakfast. "Maybe I'll get to pick which of my parents I want to live with," he said thoughtfully. "I think I'd pick my dad. At least he likes me."

The little girl smirked. The stories she'd heard from her mother about Draco Malfoy as a boy were nothing short of horrible. And then she met the man. He was kind, he smiled, he acted the way she thought a father should. A friendship had formed between their parents over the years, thanks in part to Scorpius and Rose. They'd become fast friends as toddlers, playing together in the Ministry's daycare. The children's attachment to one another meant their parents were forced to spend time together, and a friendship quickly bloomed between them as well.

"He loves you, Scor," she told him. "You're lucky to have a dad like him. Some people get fathers like Ron."

Beneath the table, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "And some people get mothers like Astoria. Maybe we'll get lucky, and your mum and my dad will marry each other," he joked. They had often tossed around the idea of their parents marrying, but Astoria, Scorpius's mother, had been very much in the picture. Now, she was no longer a hindrance. "I wish he'd told me so I didn't have to find out from the paper though."

"Maybe he planned to, but it was leaked before he could," Rose suggested. Scorpius shrugged and let go of her hand. They finished breakfast without speaking again and left the Great Hall for their first lesson.

"Mr. Malfoy, you're wanted in the headmistress's office," Scorpius was told by Professor Slughorn.

With a roll of his eyes, the young Malfoy left the classroom, wondering what trouble he'd gotten himself into so early in the day. He made his way through the castle, gave the gargoyle the password, and waited for the staircase to take him to the office. His father waited by the door and beckoned him inside. The first year scowled at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Sighing, Draco Malfoy sat down in front of the empty desk and waited for his son to join him. "It was never my intention for you to find out about the divorce from the paper," he began. "I know you've known for awhile now that your mother and I weren't happy together. It was just a matter of time before we decided that we couldn't stay married any longer."

"Did you stay married to her for me?" Scorpius wondered. "Because if you did, you're an idiot."

Chuckling, Draco couldn't deny it. "Are you okay with this?" he asked. Scorpius nodded, but didn't meet his father's gaze. "We both still love you."

Smirking, the little boy rolled his eyes. "You should have done this years ago," he said. His father laughed, though he knew he shouldn't encourage such talk against the boy's mother. "Have you talked to Minnie?"

"She knows," Draco confirmed. "We talked this morning before the paper came out, and she offered me her sofa until I find something a bit more permanent."

Scorpius perked up for the first time since seeing his father. "Are you going to accept?" he asked.

For years, the children had asked their parents to marry one another. It began as two children who never wanted to be apart, but as they grew older, Scorpius often longed for a mother like Hermione Granger. While Astoria cared about her son, she wasn't nurturing and maternal. He had never heard his mother say "I love you", and she had barely hugged him before putting him on the Hogwarts Express for the first time.

"I don't know, buddy," Draco said, suddenly sounding tired. "I don't want you and Rosie to get the wrong idea. Her mum and I are just friends. It wouldn't be fair to Hermione to get dragged into all of this."

Reluctantly, Scorpius nodded. "Do I have to go back to class, or does your divorce earn me a free pass?" he inquired.

Rolling his eyes, Draco sent his son back to class. "Tell Rosie I said hi," he added before parting ways. Leaving his old school, the first place he went was Hermione Granger's house. It was a modest, two story home, but it was welcoming. He needed something welcoming. Without knocking, he let himself in and found her in the kitchen. "Don't you hate how quiet it is when the kids aren't around?"

She smiled and poured a second cup of coffee for him. "Well, at least I have you to barge in whenever you feel like it," she remarked, joining him at the table. "I saw the paper. How are you handling all of this?"

Sighing, he sipped his coffee and shrugged. "I'm fine with it. It was my idea, after all," he replied. "It's the kids though. More than once, I've overheard them say they wish we were a family. What if they know?"


	2. Chapter 2

I was overwhelmed by the response chapter 1 received! Thank you all so much! I now have that crippling fear that the rest of the story won't live up to your expectations. Must resist urge to curl up under my desk and eat my own hair until it passes. What? Too gross?

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Chapter 2

"Did you leave your wife for me?" Hermione asked.

He had the decency to look chagrined as he stared down at his coffee. "Yes," he told her. "I just...I couldn't stay in a loveless marriage. My parents never loved each other, and I was scared that Scor would grow up to think that this is normal behavior. Being with you, I'm happy for the first time in years. I've wanted out of my marriage for a long time, and the possibility of being with you was a chance I didn't want to pass up."

Their affair had begun only a year earlier. It was her birthday, and Draco insisted that she spend it with Scorpius and himself. Astoria never knew of their friendship, and the two women never spoke. Draco and the kids made her dinner, and the quartet spent a nice evening together. When the clean up was finished and the presents opened, Scorpius and Rose adjourned to her room, leaving their parents alone. They sat in silence, sipping wine and watching the fire. Draco made the first move, holding her hand, lacing their fingers together, and finally, he kissed her. Hermione blamed the alcohol that first night when she allowed him to take her to bed, but knew that excuse wouldn't hold when their nights together continued. Their attraction had been evident for years, but both brushed it off. Draco was married, and Hermione wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his family life.

"What we did was wrong, Draco," she said softly. "Being together, people are going to blame me for splitting up your family. I don't...I can't afford to have my name dragged through the mud again. I won't put my daughter through that for some man."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, reaching across the table to hold her hand.

Hermione sighed as his thumb gently stroked her skin. "I do want to be with you," she admitted. "I'm just afraid of hurting our kids."

"I don't think we're hurting them," he replied. "Scor loves you. Do you realize how many times he's asked me why you can't be his mum?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'll bet his mother loved that," she retorted.

Shaking his head, he let go of her hand and sat back in his chair. "His mother has never been much of a mother at all," he stated. "Think about the way you've handled Scor when he was hurt or upset. You held him, you told him things would be okay, you told him you loved him. Astoria would tell him to leave her alone and not come back until he could act like a grown up. Because every five year old with a skinned knee should act like an adult. I don't know that she even loves him."

"She does," Hermione insisted. "Some people just show it differently than others. I'm sure she loves him, Draco."

He shrugged, a sour look appearing on his face. "Does your offer still stand?" he wondered. "Can I still stay here even though you're concerned about the kids and whatever slanderous remarks are made about us?"

"It did until you started making that face at me," she retorted, taking the empty coffee mugs to the sink to wash.

Draco rose from his seat and wound his arms around her waist. "I have a child. I can't be homeless," he murmured, kissing her neck.

Laughing, she turned in his arms and pressed wet hands to his cheeks. "You're a Malfoy. You own 53 pieces of property," she reminded him. "Besides, Scor knows he's always got a place here. He'll be well taken care of."

"It's not 53. You're thinking small, Granger," he informed her. "Besides, there's no way he'd choose you over me. I let him eat candy. You just tell him it'll rot his teeth."

"It will," she replied. "Have you already told him that you'll be staying here?"

He shook his head. "Honestly, I wasn't sure how he'd take it when I told him that you offered," he said. "But he seemed excited by the idea of me being here with you. I don't think they know what's transpired between us, but I think they want us together. I know I do."

She bit her bottom lip as he studied her mouth. "Would you have gotten a divorce if we didn't, ya know?" she asked, blushing.

"I don't want you to feel responsible for this," he said. "Astoria and I were never meant to be together. We should have done this sooner, but it wasn't done solely because of you. You didn't break up this marriage. Being forced to marry her was our downfall."

"You didn't answer my question," she pointed out.

Sighing, Draco shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe a small part of me did it for you. I want to be with you, but I knew it wasn't fair to you to be my mistress. The bigger reason was Scor. We were standing at the train station, ready for him to board, when he pulled me aside. He told me he was sorry that he was leaving because it meant his mother and I being alone. He was happy to be getting away from her, but he felt bad for me that I was stuck. I hate that he could see how unhappy we were. When I talked to him, he seemed relieved that it was over."

Hermione frowned, sad for the eleven year old boy who rejoiced in the breakup of his family. Draco's hand cupped her cheek, drawing her attention back to him. "I feel bad for him," she said. "I saw it with Rose. Ron left when she was so young, and she has no memories of him being around. And then the kids became friends, which meant you were around. She wished she had a dad like you. Sometimes I wondered if she was better off never knowing what she'd missed out on."

"I've loved her like she's mine," Draco murmured. Smiling, she assured him that she never doubted his love for her daughter. "This is our chance, Hermione. We can be together now without fear of being caught. Our kids want it, we want it. What's holding you back?"

Sighing, she became lost in the gray pools of his eyes. "Nothing," she decided.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When classes ended for the day and the Ravenclaws returned to their dormitory, Rose stopped Scorpius from entering. Holding onto his arm, she led him to a secluded area to talk privately. "Why was your dad here?" she asked. "The story in the paper, was it not true?"

"No, it's true," Scorpius told her. All day, he had been hounded by his classmates, some teasing him for the airing of the Malfoys' dirty laundry, while others sent him sympathetic glances. He hated both. "Dad's moving out. Knowing my mother, she traded me for the house. She always cared about it more, ya know."

"Are you upset about the divorce?" Rose wondered, noting the sadness in her best friend's voice.

Scorpius shook his head without hesitating. "No, I've wanted this to happen for a long time," he explained, sliding down to sit on the cold, stone floor. "I just...what if it's my fault? What if they did love each other, and then they had me, and I ruined everything? She didn't want me, but my dad did."

Rose wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "It's not your fault," she told him. "I remember, when I was younger, I asked my mum if my father left us because of me. Ya know, like maybe he didn't love me, or he would have stayed if I'd been a boy. She told me that him leaving would never be my fault. She said that no parent blames their child when their relationship ends. Sometimes they just grow apart, or decide they don't want the same things anymore. That's what happened with my parents. They just...stopped loving each other."

"My parents never loved each other," Scorpius muttered. "Honestly, I don't think my mother loves anyone but herself. I've heard her say she wished I'd never been born, that maybe she'd be happy if she didn't have to deal with me. Dad was always the one who did, though. He was always the parent, and she was just...there. Am I a bad person for being happy that it's over?"

Her hold on him tightened. "No, you're not," Rose said. They sat in silence as a gnawing thought filled her mind. "Do you think there's something going on between our parents? Like they're more than just friends?"

Blond eyebrows piqued. "What makes you think that?" he asked.

Pulling her arm away, she folded her hands in her lap and looked down. "There were some nights in the last year, after I'd gone to bed, when I'd hear him," she shared. "I guess they figured I was asleep, so they didn't put up any charms to keep me from hearing. It was always really late at night when your dad would come over. I don't know. I could be wrong, but what if they were having an affair?"

"Would that be so terrible?" Scorpius wondered. The little redhead eyed him incredulously. "Okay, yes, cheating on my mother is wrong. I've never seen my dad as happy around anyone as he is around Minnie. Besides, we always said we wished we had each other's parents. Maybe now we will."

Whatever anger she felt waned. "I hadn't thought of that," she conceded. Draco had been a part of her life for as long as Rose could remember. He had filled the fatherly role in her life, and she loved him for it. "Do you know where he's going to live?"

"He mentioned your house," Scorpius replied, noticing Rose's scowl. "Does that bother you?"

The little girl shook her head. "No, I just wish Mum had told me," she replied, hating not knowing something.

"Christmas is coming," Scorpius pointed out. "Maybe the four of us can spend it together."

Feeling better, he got to his feet, but Rose held his arm to keep him from fully rising. "What if something happens between them?" she asked, her eyes wide with panic. "What if they stop being friends? Does that mean we have to too?"

Frowning, he knelt down beside her. "Nothing's going to keep us apart," he said. "If something happened between my dad and Minnie, we both know they'd never do anything to split us up. They've always said that we're to blame for their friendship."

Rose laughed softly and allowed him to help her to her feet. "I choose to look at it as them thanking us when they say that," she decided. They entered the Ravenclaw common room and sat down to start their homework. "Do you think they'll get married?"

Scorpius groaned as he closed his Arithmancy book. "I doubt it," he replied. Rose shot him a disbelieving look, one that said she knew he wanted them to marry as well. Shaking his head, he sighed, knowing he would get no work done. "It's not that I don't think it could happen. My parents just got divorced though, and your mum has been single for nine years. I don't see them rushing into a new relationship just because they can. We don't even know if that's what they want."

"Your dad wouldn't be paying late night visits and moving in with my mother if they didn't want a relationship," she argued.

"We don't even know if he is moving in," Scorpius countered. "Just because she made the offer doesn't mean he accepted it. You're making yourself crazy over nothing."

Gathering her belongings, Rose stood and marched to the girls' dormitories. Her friend called after her, imploring her to come back, but his pleas were ignored. Storming to her room, she slammed the door hard enough for the walls to shake. After dumping her books on her bed, she pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill, and wrote to her mother. She needed answers, and she needed them soon. Hesitant though she was to leave the room and face Scorpius, Rose was intent on sending her letter as soon as possible.

Early the next morning, Hermione awoke to find an owl waiting in her kitchen window. It was a bird she didn't recognize, and that piqued her curiosity more. She frowned when she discovered the letter had come from her daughter, but the owl did not belong to Scorpius. His father had given a beautiful, snowy-white owl when he received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, and the two friends often shared it.

Forgetting her desire for coffee, she left the kitchen and sat down on the living room sofa to read. It was a short, simple, straight to the point note. Though it was only two lines, it took Hermione five minutes to process it before going upstairs to wake Draco. "What do we tell them?" she wondered, panicked, as his bleary gray eyes read Rose's letter.

When he finished, he sat up and ran a hand through his messy blond hair. "The truth?" he suggested. "They're going to find out sooner or later, if they don't already know. Besides, I doubt she'll be mad that I'm living here. Just answer her question honestly."

Rose stared up at the owls overhead as they delivered the afternoon mail. The old, brown barn owl she'd sent off the night before had returned. Her fingers shook as she unfolded the parchment. Beside her, Scorpius glanced curiously at her, waiting for her to share the letter with him. "They're living together," she told him, handing him the note so he could see for himself. "Still think I'm making myself crazy over nothing?"

Sighing, he bowed his head. "I'm sorry," he murmured, taking hold of her hand. "Do you really think this means they're together?"

"I guess we'll find out at Christmas."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Draco and Hermione stood on Platform 9-3/4, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their children. His hand twitched between them, debating whether or not to hold her hand. As the train pulled in, he decided against it. He feared a scene when the kids arrived, and he hoped to avoid that. Only a month earlier, reporters had hounded him for quotes and pictures and updates on his life when the news of his divorce broke. All he wanted was to get Scorpius home without being harassed.

They spotted Rose first, who ran to greet her mother. After hugging Hermione, who refused to let her go, Rose pulled away to hug Draco. "Where's Scor?" Hermione inquired, surprised that the pair wasn't joined at the hip.

Rose shrugged as she stepped back. "I don't know," she told them. "We didn't sit together. Jeremy Davies got a new chess set as an early Christmas present, and he invited Scor to play."

The adults exchanged a concerned look, but said nothing to the little girl. Draco's arm remained around her shoulders until Scorpius finally appeared. Father and son embraced before silently walking ahead with Rose and Hermione behind them. "Something going on between you and Rosie?" Draco asked, keeping his voice down so the women wouldn't hear.

They passed through the barrier to the muggle side. "No," Scorpius replied with a frown. "We just...I don't know. We're busy, Dad."

Draco didn't say another word until the quartet returned to Hermione's home. "I hope this is okay, Scor," she said nervously. "Um, you have your pick - Rosie's room like always or the guest bedroom. I wasn't sure how old was too old for the two of you to share a room."

Scorpius surveyed the well put together living room. "Where's my dad sleep?" he asked.

Draco took a seat on the sofa. "Right here," he informed his son. "Minnie put a television in the guest room, so the two of you can watch your morning cartoons in there while I sleep."

Rose rolled her eyes and sat down beside him. "We're not five anymore, Mr. D," she stated. "We're beyond Saturday morning cartoons. We prefer more cerebral morning activities, like sipping tea while reading the paper or discussing Chaucer."

Hermione couldn't prevent herself from laughing, and soon everyone but Scor joined her. She noticed and asked the little boy to join her in the kitchen. She moved around quietly, pulling out pancake fixings. "I take it you and Rose know about your dad and me," she said as she read the directions on the pancake batter box.

Scorpius shrugged as he pulled out the griddle. "We assumed," he mumbled.

Food temporarily forgotten, she placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "This is all very new, not just for your dad and me, but you and Rosie as well," she said, her voice soft and motherly. "I want to know if you're uncomfortable or angry or upset about this whole situation. I would never try to replace your mother. I hope you know that."

Scorpius snorted. "In order to do that, you'd have to start hating me," he joked. "Is it true she told Dad she didn't care if she saw me or not?"

Sighing, she led him to the table and sat down. "I don't know, sweetheart," she replied. "I know your dad told her that he wanted to see you. Whatever arrangement they came to, I don't know anything about it. What I do know is that we're both really happy that you're here. I know this isn't your home, but I hope you might feel at home here."

He gave her a soft smile. "I always have," he said. "Look, it doesn't bother me that I'm staying here. I just for once would like my mother to care about me. Rose and I got in a fight. She said that you and Dad are in love and you're going to married, and I said that wouldn't happen. It's not that I don't want the two of you to be together. I just love you both too much, and I don't want you to break up. It just made me mad that she didn't see it that way."

Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around his thin frame. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she murmured, holding him close. "Your dad and I are sort of just testing the waters. It's been a long time that we've been friends, and we don't want to lose that either. We're definitely going to take our time to figure out how to do this, but we won't allow it to continue if you or Rose object."

"I'm happy, Minnie," he said, pulling away. "You and Dad are happy?"

Hermione smiled and rose from her seat to continue cooking. "Very happy," she confirmed.

"Are you gonna marry him?" he asked as the kitchen door opened.

"Scor," Draco admonished.

Rose walked in behind him and took a seat beside her best friend. "It's a good question," she added, looking expectantly at the adults. They said nothing as Draco set the table and Hermione cooked. "Come on, Mum. You know you can tell us. You know you _want_ to tell us."

Draco stared at the little girl, amused and shocked by her words. "How are you not in Slytherin?" he wondered. "Look, the both of you need to understand right now that we are not getting married. If, and it's a pretty big if, we get married, it's not going to be for a long time. So, I don't want to hear any more talk about this."

The kids went silent, but it didn't last long. "What's wrong with marrying my mum?" Rose wondered indignantly. "You'd be lucky to marry her. Why wouldn't you want to?"

"Rose," Hermione said, her tone warning her daughter to stop. "Draco said that's enough."

Beneath the table, Scorpius gently kicked her as he tried to hide a smirk. Hermione rarely got angry and never yelled, but the little boy found it funny when she did. Rose glared and kicked him harder. Hermione set a plate of pancakes in the middle of the table and the quartet ate in silence. When they finished, the kids were put on clean up duty, leaving them alone in the kitchen.

"Did you really think that was a good idea?" Scorpius wondered as she washed and he dried.

Rose shrugged as she scrubbed syrup from the first dirty plate on the stack. "We know where they stand," she replied. "And we know just how much of an effort it's going to take to get what we want."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

With Draco behind them, the kids walked through Diagon Alley in hopes of finishing their Christmas shopping. The pair chatted quietly, discussing the possibility of an engagement ring being under the tree this year. "Quit it. You know it won't happen," Scorpius told her before turning back to his father. "Dad, we're going into the Quidditch shop. Stay out here."

"Oh sure, Hermione will be completely fine with me allowing the eleven year olds to go into store unattended," Draco replied. They approached the front door and entered. "I'll wait right here. Do what you have to do. I won't see anything. Rosie, you need money?"

Rose shook her head and smiled before she and Scorpius made their way to the back of the shop. Draco watched as they disappeared near the snitches, and wondered if he should be expecting one. All thoughts of Quidditch equipment left his mind when the door opened and someone rammed into him.

"Watch it," the gruff voice said.

Draco regained his balance and stared at the newcomer. "Weasley?" he asked.

"Malfoy?"

Draco scowled at Ron Weasley, the man who'd abandoned his family to start a new one.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"Oh, you didn't here? I'm the defender of this doorway now," Draco replied. "What do you think I'm doing here? My kids are doing their Christmas shopping."

Ron surveyed the store, red eyebrows raised. "Kids, eh? I thought you only had the one brat," he commented.

"My son isn't a brat," Draco said through clenched teeth. "And I'm not going to get into it with you like this in public. I respect my family too much to embarrass them."

From the checkout counter, Rose turned towards the door and frowned. "Is that who I think it is talking to your dad?" she asked as Scorpius paid for their present.

Taking his change, the boy turned and shrugged. "Depends. Who do you think that is?"

Rose took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. "My dad." She walked away from Scorpius, her head held high and her mouth set in a straight line. When she reached Draco, she took hold of his hand the way she had as a little girl. "We're ready to go now," she told him, paying Ron no attention.

Draco nodded, and when his son joined them, they left the store. He never let go of Rose's hand, but was more concerned by her silence than the fact that she continued to hold onto him. "How do the two of you feel about a hot chocolate?" he asked, hoping to lift her spirits. Rose said nothing, and Scorpius took his cue from his friend by shaking his head. "Ready to go home then?"

Entering the Leaky Cauldron, they floo'd home. Hermione waited with mugs of cocoa and a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. She frowned when Draco returned and Rose hadn't let go of him. He shook his head and led the little girl upstairs. In the safety of her room, he hugged her. "Talk to me, sweetheart," he requested.

"I feel like an idiot," she muttered, pulling away from him to sit on her unmade bed. "I'm getting upset over someone I've never met. Or, well, at least I don't remember meeting him. You just looked so angry standing there with him, and that made me mad. He didn't even say anything to me."

He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay to be mad at him," he told her. "What he did to you and your mum was absolutely wrong. The way you're feeling is the way you're feeling, and no one can take that away from you."

"Do you think he saw me before I came over?" she wondered, resting her head on his shoulder.

Sighing, he shrugged. "I don't know," he said, sure that he didn't, but knew Ron correctly assumed she was the child he referred to as his own.

"I hope I never see him again," she decided, sitting up. "He didn't want to be my dad, and I don't want to be his daughter. You're the only dad I need."

Draco smiled. "You are exactly what I would hope my daughter would be," he told her.

Hermione appeared in the doorway, arms crossed and a smile on her lips. "You okay?" she asked. Rose nodded and rose from the bed to hug her mother before going downstairs. Hermione took her seat. "So, does the mother get to know what's going on now?"

Sighing, he told her about the brief run-in with her ex. "The look on her face broke my heart," he told her. "I hate seeing her upset."

It had been just under a decade since father and daughter had last met. Two days after Rose's second birthday, he left for good. The couple had always fought, but Hermione assumed it was part of their dynamic. When the divorce papers came, she knew their problems were much worse. Her daughter was without a father, and Hermione was without the only family she had left. Despite her initial distrust of Draco, he and his son had entered their lives at just the right time.

"Ron never seemed interested in being a father," she shared. "We'd been married for about twenty minutes when I found out I was pregnant. I went to doctor's appointments and classes alone, he was no help with the nursery, and he didn't even show up at the hospital until an hour after she was born. Long before the divorce, I knew I'd be going it alone. It's not fair that she got the parents she got, but at least she has you."

Draco's arm wound around her. "I could say the same for you and Scor," he replied. "And Rosie is lucky to have you for a mother. Don't ever think that you're not enough for her. You've been exactly what she's needed for the past eleven years."

Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder much the same way Rose had. "She still likes you better," she muttered.

He couldn't help but laugh. "Well, sure. I'm not allowed to send her to bed with dessert or take away TV privileges," he replied. "I get to be the fun adult. And speaking of being the adults, perhaps we should get back to the kids."

They returned to the living room to find the television on and Rose's head resting in Scorpius's lap. He looked up when the adults arrived and smiled at Hermione, a sign that Rose was alright. When Draco announced he was ordering pizza, Hermione sat down beside Scorpius. Her daughter slept, no doubt tired from their day. "Did she say anything to you?" Hermione asked, running her fingers through Rose's soft, red hair.

Frowning, Scorpius lowered the volume on the television as he shook his head. "She just came down and went to sleep," he reported. "Whatever happened with her dad must have her pretty upset to do that. She always sleeps when she's upset."

"She hasn't seen too much of him over the years, so it was easy for her to forget about him. I think it just hurts when you're reminded of it," Hermione replied.

Scorpius nodded, reminding her that his situation was no different. "We've got you and dad though," he decided. "That's enough for us."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Christmas morning came, and the children awoke early. Rose bubbled with excitement as she woke Scorpius, talking a mile a minute about how wonderful Christmas was in their house. Despite his desire to sleep, he allowed her to pull him off the trundle bed and drag him downstairs. They tiptoed down the stairs, careful of the one squeaky step. Hand in hand, they entered the living room to find piles of presents beneath the lit tree.

"Where's my dad?" Scorpius wondered, rubbing sleep from his gray eyes.

Rose smirked, knowing exactly where Draco slept each night. "You didn't really believe he was sleeping on the sofa, did you?" she asked incredulously. "How did you get into Ravenclaw?"

"Be nice, or those go back," Hermione warned as she descended the staircase with Draco in tow. "Rose, grab some trash bags for the inevitable mess. Scor, you're on distribution. Think you're up for it?"

The little boy grinned as the grown ups made themselves comfortable on the sofa that was supposed to be his father's bed. "I've never done it before, but how hard can it be?" he replied. When Rose returned, Scorpius began to hand out presents. His eyes lit up with each parcel he opened. The trash bags were forgotten until the living room floor was covered in wrapping paper and discarded boxes. The final gift he received was from Hermione, and matched the last gift Rose had gotten from Draco.

There were tears in Rose's eyes as she looked at the framed photograph before holding it close to her heart. Getting to her feet, careful to avoid slipping and tripping, she hugged Draco. "Thank you," she whispered before kissing his cheek.

Scorpius remained seated by the tree, staring at gift in his hands. The picture had been taken the year before on Mother's Day. Each year, while Astoria spent the day at a spa, Draco and Scorpius spent the day with Hermione and Rose. They began with breakfast in bed, and once she was finished, they would watch movies. That year, she had tried to convince them to watch _Grey Gardens_. Ten minutes in, the kids and Draco declared her Edie, and spent the day shrieking the name her way. As payback that night during dessert, Hermione had smeared Draco's cheeks with chocolate cake frosting. Rose had the idea to grab the camera as Scorpius joined Hermione. Draco had pulled her onto his lap, pressing his frosted cheek to hers, as he captured the moment.

Hermione knelt down beside him, pushing the blond fringe from his eyes. "Happy Christmas, sweetheart," she murmured.

Leaning in, he wrapped his arms around her neck. "I love you, Minnie," he told her. "It's the, um...it's perfect."

Hermione smiled and rose to her feet to begin breakfast. When they talked about giving their children a present, the photo had been Draco's idea. The Malfoys didn't take candid, messy pictures. They posed, dressed in stuffy eveningwear as flash after flash blinded them. Over the years, he knew he and his son considered the Granger girls family, and he wanted something to memorialize that.

Tears stung her eyes and she allowed them to fall in the privacy of the kitchen. The door opened, unbeknownst to her, and her daughter approached. "Mum?" Rose asked cautiously as she moved to stand beside her. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Happy tears, baby," Hermione assured her, using the back of her hands to dry her eyes. Rose's brow furrowed, wondering if there was more to it than happy tears. Sighing, Hermione took her daughter by the hand and led her to the table to sit. "For a long time I wondered what you might miss out on since your dad wasn't around. There were things my dad and I did that I just couldn't imagine doing with my mum. Seeing you with Draco - like I said, they're happy tears."

"So, you're not worried that he might leave too?" the astute young girl asked. Hermione didn't answer. Instead, she began to scramble eggs and place strips of bacon on a skillet. "Are you, Mum? Because I see the way he looks at you. He's not Ron. He's not going anywhere."

With breakfast to cook, Hermione used it to keep from facing her daughter. "Your dad used to look at me that way too," she admitted. "He would tell me he loved me, that I was the only girl for him, and that we'd be together forever. Well, we both know how that turned out. Draco makes me happy, sweetheart, but that doesn't mean I don't worry that things could turn out the same way they did with your father."

"But they won't," Rose insisted vehemently. "They won't because Draco loves you. He left Astoria because this is supposed to his family - you and me and Scor and him. This is the family he wants. Just look at that picture of us."

Shutting off the stove, Hermione returned to Rose. "I know, baby," she murmured, wrapping her arms around the little girl. "I know he wants to be here. Sometimes, I just need a reminder that he's not Ron."

The Malfoys entered the kitchen and set the table in silence as Rose helped her mother plate breakfast. They ate in silence, and when Rose and Scorpius finished, they were excused from the table. "Well, that was awkward," Draco commented as he brought the dishes to the sink. "Do you want to talk?"

Sighing, she turned on the water and began to scrub the pans first. "You left your wife for me," she said. "Nine years ago, Ron left me to be with someone else. As much as I know you're not Ron, it doesn't stop that fear that you'll leave me one day."

Reaching over, he shut off the tap and removed the pan from her hands. "There's nothing I can say," he admitted, holding her wet hands. "I wish I could reassure you that you're it for me, but I know I can't. You're the first woman I've ever loved, and I want you to be the last. Unless you kick me out, I'm not going anywhere. You just have to have a little faith that we'll work. That's the only way this can last."

"I trust you," she told him.

"Do you believe me when I say you're who I want?" he asked. Looking down at their joined hands, she nodded. "You know I love you, right?"

She raised her eyes and smiled. "I know," she murmured. "I love you too."

Grinning, he leaned down to kiss her. "Ya know, in it's own odd way, this has always felt like my family," he told her. "I always wanted one, and you gave that to me."

Hermione's smile grew brighter. That was the difference between Draco and Ron. Draco wanted to be a part of this family.


	7. Chapter 7

In a review, I was asked about their relationship with Harry and the other Weasleys. So, here's the explanation!

* * *

Chapter 7

Scorpius and Rose sat on the Hogwarts Express, reluctant to return to school. Their Christmas break had been exactly what they wanted, and they wanted it to continue. Seated across from each other, they stared out at the countryside that whizzed by. "What do you think your mum did for Christmas?" Rose asked, knowing better than to look at her friend.

The little Malfoy frowned. He hadn't thought about his mother since he arrived at Hermione's house two weeks earlier. "No idea," he muttered. His assumption had been that she spent the holiday with her parents and sister, but he hadn't cared enough to confirm. "All I know is I'm happy I didn't have to see her family. Aunt Daphne goes on and on about her husband and their little brat. Neither one ever shows up, by the way. She ignores me, but calls me Simon whenever she does acknowledge me. Being with the Greengrasses isn't exactly my ideal day."

Rose sighed. "At least you have other family," she replied. "It's always just been me and Mum. Her parents are dead, and we never see the Weasleys. Well, we see Uncle George, but that's it."

"My dad always talked about them," Scorpius told her. "Said your grandparents seemed like the kind every kid should get."

The little redhead shrugged. "If they are, I wouldn't know," she stated. "Mum tried to talk to them, but I guess it was just easier for us to stay away. Mrs. Weasley would get upset that Ron abandoned us. The last time I saw her, I was five, and she cried the whole time. Mum thought it was better for the sake of her sanity that we distance ourselves a bit. Honestly, I've never really minded because Mum was enough."

"Was?" Scorpius asked.

Sighing, Rose turned to face him. "When the Sorting Hat was put on my head, do you know what it said to me? 'Another Weasley.' I have cousins at school who I don't know," she explained. "I just don't feel like a Weasley, and sometimes I wish I weren't one."

Scorpius frowned. On the rare occasion that Rose spoke to anyone from another house, it was usually Albus Potter. The son of Harry and Ginny Potter, he had shyly introduced himself to his long lost cousin as they rode the boats from the train to the castle on their first night. The pair talked from time to time, even including Scorpius in their conversations, but he was sure Hermione never knew.

"I heard our parents talking last night," he admitted. "About you. Minnie was asking him to look into what it would take to change your last name."

Rose turned her attention to the window once more. "I asked her to," she replied. "After I saw Ron in the Quidditch shop, Mum and I were talking that night. I asked if it would be possible to change my last name to Granger. I haven't been Ron Weasley's daughter in nine years. It's about time I stop thinking of myself as such."

"What happens when our parents get married though?" Scorpius wondered. They no longer discussed it in "ifs". Their parents would marry. "You're gonna go from Weasley to Granger to Malfoy? Why not just wait, and become one of us."

Rose laughed. "You make it sound like a cult," she remarked.

"Purebloods basically are," he replied, glancing up when the compartment door slid open.

Pushing straight, dark hair from his blue eyes, Albus smiled at the pair and sat beside his cousin. "Freddie has spent the last half hour trying to put worms down the back of his sister's shirt. Can I sit in here?" he asked. Rose shrugged, refusing to look Al's way. "So, um, how was your holiday?"

Scorpius carried the conversation, discussing the presents he had received and the big Christmas dinner Hermione prepared. It wasn't until Al mentioned the new broomstick he had gotten from Uncle Ron that Rose left the compartment. Standing in the hallway, she let out a pained sob and sunk to the floor. The door slid open, someone sat down beside her, and an arm wound around her shoulders. Without looking up, she knew it was Scorpius.

"There's this doll I've had since I was two," she told him. "Mum said it was a birthday gift from him. I took it everywhere, hoping that if I believed hard enough, he'd come back. I was six when I realized it wasn't working. So, I tried getting rid of the stupid thing. Every time I threw it away, it returned."

"Magic?" Scorpius guessed.

The little girl snorted. "My mother," she told him. "She said she wanted me to have a good memory of my father. But I hate that doll and I hate him for not loving me enough."

"He's one person," Scorpius said. "There are so many more people who love you. One guy's opinion doesn't matter. I get that he's your father, so maybe that carries a little more weight, but-"

Rose shook her head. "No, he's not," she insisted. "Draco is. Maybe not biologically, but in every way that matters. I'm not going to let Ron Weasley upset me anymore."

He rubbed her arm and leaned his head against hers. "Seems to me there's some Malfoy in you already," he joked. "Dad would be proud."

Chuckling, she got to her feet and helped him up. "As Mum would say, it's seems I've already drunk the kool-aid," she replied, knowing he wouldn't understand the reference. They returned to the compartment, ignoring a curious Al's questioning glances, and began to talk about the second half of their first year of school. Arriving at the castle, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaws went their separate ways.

"He's not so bad," Scorpius commented as they walked to their dormitory. Rose shrugged as she sat down in front of the fireplace. "It's kinda cool that he's reached out to you. Have you ever met his parents?"

Sighing, Rose had hoped they were done with this conversation. "No, I haven't," she told him. "Mum and Harry were best friends, but he married Ginny. Ginny is Ron's brother, so we both know who he sided with. Mum lost a lot when Ron left."

"That's one way of looking at it," Scorpius murmured, toying with a throw pillow. "She did get us though. Personally, and this is my completely unbiased opinion, I think we Malfoys are much better than any Weasley any day."

Rose scoffed. "I have, on more than one occasion, heard you say that you wished Uncle George could be your dad," she retorted.

He tossed the pillow at her as she laid down and put her feet on his lap. "What kid doesn't want complete, unrestricted access to a joke shop?" he replied. "I think it's good that he's the only one you talk to. You always bought me the best gifts."

Tucking the pillow beneath her head, she thought about why George was the only member of the family that ever contacted them. "Ya know, I used to think it was just because he was in Diagon Alley, and that made him hard to avoid," she said. "But he and Mum always seem to get along, and he's always nice to me. He never mentions Ron or his new family. They just talk, and then when we leave, he gives me all of the new products. I think she likes having some connection to the Weasleys, and Uncle George isn't going to force her to come back. He told me once that after Ron left Mum, he locked him in the basement with the spiders. According to Uncle George, he cried for hours."

Scorpius laughed heartily. The idea of Ron Weasley being tortured by a family member seemed like karmic justice. No one hurt Rose and Hermione and got away with it.


	8. Chapter 8

I have work to do and meetings to attend, but all I can think about is posting a new chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8

Hermione's hand grew clammy as Draco held it tightly. It was their first public outing, and she worried they would be harassed. Try as he might to assure her that everything would be fine, she couldn't stop her thoughts from straying to front page headlines and fights with a Weasley in the middle of Diagon Alley. It was more than she could handle, and considered returning home several times.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with what we're doing," Draco murmured, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We're two single people who are now in a relationship, and we're going to dinner. Nothing scandalous about eating."

"This is the first time I've been on a date since Ron," she told him. "That in and of itself is newsworthy to the vultures at the _Prophet_. Remember the days when they reported real news? I miss those days. Why won't they just let us fade into obscurity?"

Draco shrugged. "You could stop giving them such newsworthy stories," he suggested. "Dating a former Death Eater isn't going to keep them away."

Frowning, she stopped walking. "Are you saying you want to break up?" she wondered.

He stood inches away, their hands no longer joined. His gray eyes widened with surprise and his mouth hung open. "What? No, of course not," he told her, balking at the very idea. "Merlin, I was joking, or at least I thought I was. I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd take it that way."

Sighing, she closed the distance between them and wound her arms around his waist. "Don't be sorry," she murmured, kissing his lips chastely. "Feed me instead."

Laughing, he took her hand and led her to the Leaky Cauldron. The pub was usually crowded at dinnertime as shops closed and Ministry employees left work. Draco had picked Hermione up from her office in the Department of Magical Law. Reluctant though she had been to leave work, one smile from the dashing blond changed her mind. They found a small, deserted table near the back and sat down.

"I wish the kids had Hogsmeade privileges," he said as he studied the menu. "I miss them."

"I told you the house is too quiet without them," she replied. "At least I've got you there now. No more talking to the walls like a crazy person."

Draco laughed. "You apologized to the bannister last night when you bumped into it," he reminded her. Across from him, Hermione wadded up her napkin into a ball and tossed it at him. Despite his cry of outrage, his smile betrayed any anger he might feel. "Well, now I understand why Rose thinks it's okay to throw things at the table. Such deplorable manners to pass on to your offspring."

"Actually, the rule is that she's only allowed to throw things at Malfoys," Hermione informed him. "I came up with that before the kids were friends. No use changing it now though. It suits my needs quite well."

A retort was quick to his tongue, but a cleared throat prevented Draco from speaking. Glancing up, he froze at the sight of Harry Potter standing by their table. Quickly, he schooled his features, sat up straighter, and sneered. "Come to take our order?" Draco inquired.

Harry scoffed and turned his attention to Hermione. "Long time no see," he said, a combination of breezy and cautious. "I got a letter from Al that he rode the train with Rose. He actually talked about her a lot when the kids were home for the holiday. So, um, she's good?"

"That's funny. My kids didn't mention him," Hermione mused, fighting to control her attitude. "She's doing well. A Ravenclaw, if you hadn't heard. Scorpius and Rose are top of their class."

Nodding uncomfortably, Harry took her clipped tones as his cue to leave. "I know it's not for awhile, but maybe Rose and Al could get together over the next school break. Give her a chance to meet some of her other cousins," he suggested.

"Sure, and maybe she'll get to meet her father while she's there," Hermione quipped. "If she wants to go, she can. I won't stop her. I just wouldn't get your hopes up."

When Harry left, Draco let out a low whistle. "The Eviscerator," he commented. "Have you and Potter not been friendly all these years?"

Scowling, Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry I called Scorpius my kid," she told him. "I just...I guess I sort of see him that way."

"It's fine," he replied. "I did the same when we ran into Weasley. So, you and Potter?"

Sighing, Hermione sat back in her seat. "We were...the blame is mutual," she said. "After the divorce papers were signed, I distanced myself from the Weasleys, which included Harry. I needed time to put my life back together, and I thought he understood that. And then nine years went by with hardly a word from him. The last time we had any contact with one another was when his youngest was born five years ago. Rose had the chicken pox, and was seeing a Healer at St. Mungo's. We sort of just ran into one another."

"Doesn't it bother you that he chose them after Weasley walked away from his family?" Draco wondered angrily.

She shrugged, returning her attention to the menu in front of her. "No, I expected it," she replied. "He's Ron's brother-in-law. They were friends first. Besides, being friends with Harry meant seeing Ginny as well. At the time, I just couldn't do that. I couldn't pretend to be happy around the family after my marriage ended, and worse, I couldn't stand the pity. You and Scor came into our lives at exactly the right moment. Our kids loved each other, we hated each other, but you were there whenever I needed you."

Reaching across the table, he held her hand. "I liked being able to help," he told her. "I liked being _allowed_ to help. And I didn't hate you. The first time I saw you with Scor, I knew it wasn't possible to dislike you. I just wish I'd learned that sooner."

"All that matters is that we figured it out," she replied, squeezing his hand. For a moment she was silent as she chewed her bottom lip. "Was I too mean to Harry?"

He considered her question for a brief minute. "I'm not the type to look down on anyone for being mean to Potter," he said. "Do you think you were?"

Looking down, she shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "I didn't appreciate the way he acted, like we've been best friends for the past nine years. Like he hasn't ignored me all this time. Sometimes I do wonder though if I did the right thing keeping Rose away from the Weasleys. Maybe this is her opportunity to have a family."

He could see that she was getting worked up. "Why don't you talk to Rose," he suggested. "Find out from her if this is something she wants. Personally, I think you're the only family she wants."


	9. Chapter 9

I'm working on something new! Stay tuned!

* * *

Chapter 9

The morning mail came, and with it came a letter from her mother. Rose quickly opened it, always glad to hear from her mum. Scorpius occupied his usual seat beside her and glanced over as she read the letter. The smile she wore quickly faded as she finished it. "What do you think?" she asked her best friend.

Scorpius picked up the note and reread it. "Well," he said, setting down the letter, "it seems to me that she's offering you the chance to meet your dad's family."

"Do you think she wants me to?" Rose wondered.

The blond shrugged. "I think when she wrote that it's up to you that means it's up to you," he replied. "Minnie's not going to force you to see them. You know she wouldn't do that. But do you think it is something you'd want to do?"

She recalled their conversation on the train, and her proclamation that she wasn't a Weasley. "I don't want to, but if she wanted me to I would," Rose said. "I'm not scared or anything. I just...I don't know them. They're not family. Mum never took me to see them, but I don't remember them ever making an effort to see us either. I don't know. I'd rather talk to Mum before making any decisions."

"I think that's smart," Scorpius agreed. "Maybe you'll feel better if you talk to her."

Rose nodded, staring down at the half eaten breakfast on her plate. "Um, do you think it would bother your dad if I saw them?" she asked, feeling silly for even having such a thought.

Scorpius chuckled softly. "He never gets mad at you," he replied. "You put mashed potatoes in my hair at Christmas dinner, and he blamed me for riling you up. I know he was kidding, but I also know that you can do no wrong with him. I really doubt he'd be mad if you did this. Ya know, if you wanted me to, I'd go with you."

Rose grinned as she bumped her shoulder against his. "And here I thought you'd try to discourage me from going," she teased.

Scorpius shrugged and took the toast from her plate. "If you want to do it, I'm not going to talk you out of it," he replied. "Do you think it's something you want to do?"

Sighing, she looked to the Gryffindor table where Al sat with his - their cousins. "No, it isn't," she decided.

000000000

_Thanks, but no thanks._

Hermione smirked when she read her daughter's reply. If there was one trait Rose had inherited from her father, it was brevity. Curled up on the sofa, she waited for Draco to join her. Minutes later, he finished washing the dishes and sat down beside her. He took the letter from her hand and furrowed his brows. "What's this mean?" he wondered.

"It means I think you were right about Rose's feelings regarding family," she replied, pulling his arm around her shoulders.

Glancing down, he noticed she frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked. "You look...I don't know, guilty."

Shrugging, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Maybe I am," she said. "I kept her from them, and maybe because of that, she has no interest in knowing them. I don't want my feelings and opinions on the matter to be hers because she thinks she has to be on my side. It's my fault she feels the need to choose sides."

Draco scowled. "It's Weasley's fault she has to choose sides," he muttered. "He put her in this position, not you. I just...I don't understand how anyone could abandon their child. Astoria signed the custody papers today. She doesn't want him. I knew that. I've known it for years. I just don't understand it."

Arms slipped around his waist. "It's not fair to these kids that this has happened to them," she commiserated. "At least they know one parent loves them. I don't know if that's worth anything, but it's all I have."

"Do you think it's enough?" Draco wondered.

Sighing, Hermione glanced up at him. "Most of the time, yes," she replied. "And then there are the times they're soon to be teenagers who hate their parents. I don't think there's anything we can do about that. They'll have each other at least."

There was a hopeful smile on his lips. "Does that mean you might consider marrying me one day?" he wondered.

"Oh, I've considered it," she told him. "And I know it's what the kids want, and you want it. It is something I want, but I don't want to rush into it. Ron and I rushed into it, and we both know how that turned out. I think I've just been single for so long that I don't remember how to be married. I want us to take our time."

He held her close. "We're not going to be like you and Ron," he promised. "I know you're going to tell me that there's no way I can know that, but I know how much I love you. I know how much I want to be with you. We're going to last because that's what we want. If we want to be together, we'll do what we have to do to make it work."

"What if you decide you don't want me anymore?" she wondered. "What happens then? Ron, once upon a time, said sweet things like that too. I don't know that I can handle being walked out on again. I did love him. Even after he left, I loved him. It took a long time for me to get over my feelings for him. It's also taken me nine years to be comfortable in a relationship again. I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life, but I don't want to get hurt either."

"Sometimes there's no avoiding that," he reasoned. "But we love and trust one another, and you have to believe that we'll be okay."

Hermione nodded, knowing he was right. "If something were to happen, could I still see Scor?" she asked.

Laughing, he assured her she would. "Knowing our kids, Rose will want me to have custody of her, and Scor will choose you. Maybe we should just skip marriage and swap kids now, get it out of the way."

"Maybe. This was fun while it lasted though," she joked. Draco nodded in agreement.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Parents Weekend?" Jeremy Davies complained as he joined Scorpius and Rose on the sofa. "Really, what is McGonagall thinking? Didn't we just see our parents two months ago? The whole point of boarding school is to get away from them."

Rose continued to read. "I thought the point of it was to learn," she commented, having little patience for the dark haired, pureblooded boy. He was Scorpius's friend, but she couldn't understand how he put up with Jeremy either. "Besides, some of us like our parents."

"Does that include the ones who abandoned you?" Jeremy inquired.

While Rose was able to ignore him, Scorpius's anger got the better of him. Rising, he pulled his arm back and let his fist connect with his friend's nose. "Leave my sister alone," the little blond seethed. Rose stood beside him, pulling Scorpius away to the boys' dormitory. "I'll kill him if he ever talks to you like that again."

Rose scowled as she examined his knuckles. "You shouldn't have done that," she told him.

"You're my best friend. I stick up for you," he replied, pulling his hand away.

Sighing, she sat down on his bed. "Scor, I love you, but you can't fight my battles for me," she told him. "Besides, one stupid comment from an ignorant twelve year old doesn't bother me. You getting kicked out of school will. Just...go apologize before he goes to the headmistress."

"Good thing Dad's coming today. Maybe he can get me out of trouble," Scorpius joked, moving towards the door.

Smiling, Rose joined him. "I wouldn't count on it," she warned him as they walked back to the common room. "You know how he feels about you causing trouble."

"Even if I'm in trouble for sticking up for you?" he wondered.

She shrugged. "That might make him a bit more lenient," she agreed.

Standing in the doorway to the Ravenclaw dormitory was Headmistress McGonagall. "Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley, come with me." Nervously, the first years followed the stern witch to her office. Once inside, they took seats, and waited. "Mr. Davies needed to have a broken nose healed. Would either of you care to explain why?"

The pair exchanged a look, and it was Rose who spoke first. "Jeremy was teasing me, making fun of the fact that my dad walked out on my mum and me," she said, conjuring tears as she told the pitiful tale. "I just...and he wouldn't stop. Scor didn't mean to hit him, I promise. Jeremy just wouldn't stop."

"There are never appropriate circumstances for hitting another student," McGonagall stated, eyeing the young Malfoy. "Your father will be here today, correct? What do you think he'd say about your actions?"

Scorpius shrugged and glanced at Rose. "He'd probably tell me about the time her mum slapped him," he replied. "Actually, they've told us that story about six million times. Dad acts angry that it happened, and Minnie rationalizes just how much he deserved it. This time though, Minnie will be mad that I resorted to violence, and Dad will be more concerned about Rosie. Does that sound accurate to you, Rose?"

Rose nodded before looking imploringly at the headmistress. "Are we in trouble?" she wondered, throwing in a sniffle for good measure.

The stern look the headmistress wore deepened. "Not you, Miss Weasley, but Mr. Malfoy will be spending the next week in detention," she stated. "Hopefully these actions won't be repeated."

"They won't, Headmistress," Scorpius promised. The pair was dismissed and began the long walk to the Great Hall to see their parents. "Well, that wasn't so bad. Where did you learn to cry like that?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. It's a talent," she replied. "Your dad has always said I belonged in Slytherin. I'm starting to wonder if that old hat made a mistake. Although, I did ask for Ravenclaw, so maybe that's why I'm there."

"Why would you ask for that?" he wondered. "We're the smart house, the nerd house. All anyone thinks we do is study. It's boring."

"You really don't know why I'd ask for it?" Rose asked incredulously. "You were sorted first, and I didn't want to be separated. I overheard Al say that his dad told him you could choose your house. So, I picked Ravenclaw. You're the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. I didn't want to be somewhere without you."

Scorpius put his arm around her shoulders. "I would have done the same," he told her.

They spotted Draco first and ran to him. He hugged both children at once, and kept his arms around them to keep them close. "Where's Mum?" Rose wondered, looking around.

"Your um...Ron is here," he told her nervously.

She tensed beneath his arm. "To see me?" she asked.

Draco glanced across the room. "I think that's what she's trying to find out now."

0000000000

Ron Weasley was the last person Hermione wanted to see. She was sure Harry was to blame for his presence. Leaving Draco behind, she marched up to him, anger brewing in her dark eyes. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

He seemed happy to see her, giving her a quick smile when she appeared. "I wanted to see the kids," he replied. "Ginny couldn't make it, so I tagged along with Harry. I thought it might give me the chance to see Rose too."

Hermione scoffed. "The door to her has always open, Ronald. I haven't kept you away from her. You did that all on your own," she said bitterly. "By the way, how's the family?"

Ron sighed. "They're fine. Lavender's home with Hugo, and we're expecting our second in May," he told her reluctantly. "So, can I see her?"

Turning to look at Draco behind her, she frowned when she saw their children. "It's up to her," she said, repeating the familiar mantra. She walked away, joining her family across the Great Hall. Rose pulled away from Draco to greet her mother, refusing to let her go. "You don't have to talk to him," she whispered, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

The little girl glanced behind her mother. Al stood beside his father and uncle, waiting for his older brother, James, to join them. She turned back to the family that surrounded her, the one that had been by her side for the majority of her life. Curiosity was beginning to get the better of her. She wanted to know what Ron Weasley was like. She wanted apologies for his abandonment, and the reassurance that she wasn't the cause of the split between her parents.

"Would you be mad if I did?" Rose asked, directing her question not only to her mother, but Draco as well. Draco frowned, but Hermione assured her that it would be fine. She walked away and nervously approached her father. "Um, hi. I'm Rose."

He smiled brightly as he stooped to hug her. "You're just as beautiful as the day you were born," he told her.

Rose scowled. "It's not like you've got any other frame of reference," she muttered. "Listen, I'm not interested in a family reunion, and I'm not about to start calling you 'Dad'. I just need to know something. Why did you leave us?"

Taking hold of her arm, Ron found a quiet place where they could talk privately. "Every day I've regretted my decision to leave," he told her. "I knew I didn't handle it the right way. Your mum and I fought constantly, from the time we were your age, in fact. But I loved her. She was my best friend, and what should have stayed a crush turned into a marriage. It took awhile for me to figure out that being married to her wasn't what I wanted. What I did wasn't fair to you or your mother."

"But you just left," Rose said angrily. "You just walked out on us. Didn't you care about me at all? How could you not love Mum enough to at least tell her you wanted out? She deserves better than that. _We_ deserve better."

Ron nodded remorsefully. "I did care about you, Rose," he replied. "But I wasn't a good father. Your mother has this sort of take charge approach to things, and I was more than happy to let her do that with you. She did everything for so long, and after awhile, I began to resent it. I'll never be able to justify my actions, but I did love you."

"Well, nice to know," she replied sarcastically. "Thanks for coming."

Turning on her heel, she returned to her family.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Dad says I'm grounded," Scorpius lamented as they waited for Draco and Hermione to join them for dinner.

"How can he ground you?" Rose wondered. "We're not home."

Gray eyes rolled. "When we get home, I'm grounded," he clarified.

The adults sat down across from them. "Not whining about that, are you?" Draco asked, sipping from the goblet in front of him. "It's a day. You're grounded for a day. Get over it."

"Why only a day?" Rose inquired as platters of food appeared on the table.

Draco and Hermione exchanged a brief, ambiguous look. "You were there. Should it be longer?" Draco asked. Looking down at her still empty plate, Rose shook her head. "Okay then. It's one day."

When dinner was over, the quartet walked back to the Ravenclaw dormitory. While Scorpius and Draco walked ahead, Hermione asked her daughter to hang back. "You don't have to tell me what Ron said, but if you wanted to, I'll listen," she told her.

"Why was Draco so lenient?" Rose wondered.

Hermione smiled as she watched her boys walk ahead of them. "Because Scor was defending you," she replied. "He's always rewarded Scorpius for that. This stays between us, but he didn't want to punish him."

Rose held her mother's hand. "Ron said he regrets leaving us," she shared. "I don't know, though. I don't believe him. He would have come back at some point, wouldn't he? Even just to see me, he should have come back."

"He should have," Hermione agreed. "Do you regret talking to him? Ignorance is usually bliss, and you've had nine years of it."

Scorpius and Draco entered the common room, but the Grangers stayed outside. "No, I don't," she decided. "Talking to him really opened my eyes. I always wondered what it would be like to talk to him. Now I know, and I can move on. Did I tell you Scor called me his sister this morning? Not 'like a sister', but his sister."

Concerned as she was about her daughter's flippant attitude toward her father, Hermione let it go for the time being. "That's not surprising," she said. "The two of you have always been close."

Rose shook her head. "He's never called me his sister before," she replied.

Hermione sat down on the floor and waited for Rose to join her. "Does it bother you?" she asked, placing an arm around the young girl's shoulders.

Smiling, she shook her head. "It was nice," Rose admitted. "I always wanted a brother, and Scor's the closest I'll ever get. You always told me I didn't need a boy to protect me, but I like when Scor does it. We look out for each other. And who knows? Maybe one day it'll be real."

"Maybe," Hermione agreed with a small grin.

They entered the common room to find Draco and Scorpius in front of the fireplace with an Arithmancy book open between them. "Honestly, bud, Minnie's much better at this than I am," Draco said, looking guiltily at his son. Hermione took a seat beside them while Rose sat on Draco's lap. He held her close while her mother reviewed the problems in the book. They didn't speak, but listened as Hermione explained the equations.

Rose let her head rest against his shoulder and closed her eyes. It had been a long, emotional, exhausting day. "I love you," she told him as she fell asleep in his comforting embrace.

"I love you too," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

After Rose and Scorpius were put to bed, Hermione and Draco left for their room at the Three Broomsticks. Sighing, Hermione dropped onto the bed and shut her eyes. "Want sleep," she mumbled, burying her head in her arms.

Kicking off his shoes, Draco joined her. "So, what did my little girl have to say about Ron?" he wondered.

Groaning, she turned to face him, and shared their conversation. "Maybe it was good that he showed up," she said uncertainly.

"Does she want to see him again?" Draco asked. Hermione shook her head. "It's funny just how alike our kids are. I told him about the custody arrangement, and he said he'd be happy to never see his mother again. And it occurs to me now that, with all that's been going on, I never asked if you were alright with him living in your house."

"Yes, Draco, I find it deeply upsetting," she deadpanned. "It's your house too. You're allowed to make...certain decisions."

He smirked as he toyed with one of her dark curls. "Certain? Does this have to do with your towels?" he wondered. "It's not my fault that you don't understand the need to color coordinate them. It's a sickness that I can't help, Granger. Let it go."

Hermione laughed as her arm encircled his waist. "I would be thrilled to have Scorpius live with us," she assured him. His kiss displayed his gratitude. They shifted; Hermione to her back with Draco above her. His lips moved to her neck and Hermione breathed. "Do you want kids?" she wondered.

Draco's lips were gone, and he held his weight on his hands. "I already have kids," he reminded her.

"I meant another," she replied.

Sighing, he moved off of her and laid down by her side. "I thought you wanted to wait," he said. When she said she did, he looked confused. "Well, which is it? Let's have a baby or let's wait?"

Hermione sat up and pulled up her legs to rest her chin upon her knees. "I want to have another baby someday," she told him. "But this isn't something I think we can take our time with. Who's to say I could even get pregnant again? I just...I wanted to know where you stand on this."

Taking her hand, Draco coaxed her to his side. When she laid down, he held her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "I never wanted Scor to be an only child, but I knew I couldn't stand to be with Astoria," he shared. "When he and Rosie became friends, I figured she was his only chance at having a sister. And she is, in every way that matters. To have a real sibling...he'd love that. Could you imagine the two of them with little brother or sister?"

His excitement grew the longer he spoke, and Hermione grinned as she listened. She and Ron had never discussed children, and Rose's conception had come as a surprise to the couple. When she announced that she was pregnant, Ron hadn't been happy. They had only been married for three months when she delivered the news, and the subject of children had never come up before or after.

"-besides, we need a brunette."

Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts, and laughed. "One of each?" she asked.

Grinning, Draco nodded. "Exactly," he replied, moving to the head of the bed. When she joined him, he wrapped his arm around her. "There's, uh, when we do get married, I want to adopt Rose. Would that...can I?"

"We would both love that," Hermione replied.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

For the first time, Hermione stood on Ron Weasley's doorstep. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She had come to discuss the parental rights he still had over their daughter, but she wondered why she needed to do it in person. Be the bigger person, she reminded herself. After knocking on the door, she waited impatiently for it to open.

"Hermione?" Lavender greeted her, surprised to see her former classmate, but happy all the same. She threw her arms around her, her pregnant belly in the way. "Oh, it's so good to see you. It's been so long!"

Hermione was less enthused about the reunion, but did her best to keep her temper in check. "May I come in?" she requested. "There's something I need to discuss with Ron."

Lavender nodded and welcomed the witch into her home. A little boy, probably no older than seven, sat on the floor surrounded by toys. He glanced up, strawberry blond hair falling in his eyes, and flashed her a grin that revealed a missing front tooth. Ron entered from the kitchen, eyebrows raised and mouth open. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Hermione snorted derisively. It amused her to no end that nine years later he would be worried about her. He hadn't worried when his daughter was born, sick, or hurt. He hadn't been a part of their family for nine years, and it annoyed her that now he seemed concerned. "Nothing's wrong," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. She had earned the right to be moody and indignant. "There's a matter I'd like to discuss."

Nodding, he escorted her to the kitchen. "Can I get you something?" he asked. "Tea? Coffee? Butterbeer?"

From her bag, she pulled a folder and tossed it down on the table. "You can sign these," she instructed.

Sighing, he sat down and opened the folder. "What are they?" he wondered.

She remained standing as he read them quickly. "They basically absolve you of any parental rights you have over Rose," she explained, feeling like they were back in school and she was helping him with his homework. "If you ask me, you did that yourself when you walked out. At least now it'll be legal."

Scowling, he grabbed a quill and signed his name. "There," he said, handing the folder back to her. "You're right. I was a jerk for walking out like I did. But this? I never thought you'd stoop to this. And for what? Malfoy? He doesn't want me around? He doesn't want Rose associated with us when she could be associated with his wonderful family?"

Hermione packed her bag and shouldered it. "You're not going to guilt me out of filing these," she warned him. "Draco's been more of a father to her than you ever were. You chose not to be around. I didn't keep you away. I didn't bar you from seeing Rose. The fact that she identifies Draco as her father is your fault, not mine. I appreciate you signing these. Have a nice life."

Turning on her heel, she left him in the kitchen, said goodbye to Lavender, and returned to work. She filed the papers and went in search of Draco. After the war, he had taken his N.E.W.T.s and applied for a filing clerk position in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Over the years, he had worked his way to head of the department. Entering his office, she sat down and waited for his attention.

After signing his name to the parchment in front of him, he tossed it aside and smiled at her. "What brings you here?" he wondered, happy to see her.

"Ron signed the papers," she told him. "He barely even read them. Just signed them and blamed me for not seeing his kid for the last decade. I'm not the one who forced him out of our lives. He left. This isn't my fault, right?"

Frowning, he rose and rounded the desk to sit beside her. "How is it your fault?" he wondered, taking hold of her hand. "You've raised an amazing little girl, and you did it all on your own. There's nothing you could have done to stop him. He left and you stayed. To me, that's how I know you're not at fault."

Nodding, she squeezed his hand to say thank you. With a gentle tug, he drew her from her seat to sit on his lap. "I keep reminding myself that now my daughter will have the father she deserves," she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "That makes the whole thing worth it."

"It is worth it," he assured her. "This is what Rosie wants. She, and Scor too, deserve to have whatever they want. God help me if that sounds like I want to spoil them, but with the hand they've been dealt, I just want them to have whatever they want."

"They did get us," she reminded him. "I like to think we've done a good job of raising them. Sure, Rose never remembers to turn off lights before leaving a room, but at least she's well behaved in public."

Draco chuckled. "She also throws food at my son," he pointed out. "That's not to say he's not a gem either. That kid can't find the hamper to save his life. But, I figure that if that's the worst I can say about him, then he's a pretty great boy."

Hermione pressed a kiss to his temple. "He's always been my favorite Malfoy," she replied.

"You've always made that obvious," he muttered.

She sighed as she vacated his lap. "Yeah, I'm just using you to get to him," she admitted, smiling when he laughed. "It's all a part of my evil plot to claim him as my son. Damn you for foiling my master plan."

Draco returned to his desk as she made her way to the door, ready to go back to her own office. "Would you?" he wondered, toying with his quill. She turned and shot him a curious look. "I mean, would you want to adopt him?"

"Wouldn't that upset your family?" she asked.

Rolling his eyes, he scoffed. "Please. Astoria doesn't care," he told her. "My parents have never been a part of Scor's life because I kept them out of it. I didn't want him turning out like me, and my father was insistent on instilling his beliefs in my son. So, no, my family is no concern. You don't have to answer now, and I'm sorry for putting you on the spot. It's just something I was thinking about."

Walking away from the door, Hermione joined him behind the desk and kissed him tenderly. "Scor is mine the same way Rose is yours," she explained. "I'd be honored to be his mother. If that's what he wants, that is."

"I doubt he'll object."


	13. Chapter 13

I went to see Divergent yesterday. Emma Watson introduced the Noah trailer, and just as it was about to begin I heard a little girl ask "Who's that?" My first thought was "Well, that's just bad parenting." I don't have kids, so maybe that isn't. But if you think your kid is old enough to see Divergent, then they're old enough to know who Hermione Granger is.

* * *

Chapter 13

Hermione strolled through Diagon Alley and entered Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Shortly after the divorce, Ron had given up assisting his brother in the shop, and Hermione had never bothered to learn why. She was just happy that he wasn't around. George called out her name before she spotted him, but she smiled when she finally located him.

"The kids are coming home tomorrow. Thought I'd surprise them with a few new toys," she said as they hugged.

"Just bring them by tomorrow," George suggested when he pulled away. "They can pick out whatever they want. Besides, it's been forever since I've seen my favorite niece."

Hermione seemed hesitant to accept his offer. "Well, Scorpius Malfoy will be with us too," she informed her former brother-in-law.

George shrugged. "I figured that's what you meant when you pluralized 'kid'," he replied. "He's welcome to help himself too. If the papers are to be believed, it's only a matter of time before he's officially part of the family. Would it be weird if I made him call me Uncle George?"

Chuckling, she shook her head. "Thank you, George," she said, kissing his cheek. "For...just everything. Thank you."

She began to leave when he caught her arm. "Hey, we were your family long before you and Ron got married," he told her. "I know you've had a hard time talking to them, but I'll always be here. My brother told us about the papers you asked him to sign, and I can't help but wonder why you didn't do that a long time ago. He doesn't deserve that kid."

"This stays between us?" she asked. George nodded quickly and led her to the back room so they would have some privacy. "Draco wants to adopt her. I didn't tell Ron, though I'm sure he assumed that's why I asked that he sign them. This way, I can avoid any legal battles over it. Rose has wanted Draco to be her father for so long, and now he can be."

"Does she know yet?" George wondered. Hermione shook her head, telling him that they planned to the children in person. "You don't think she's gonna try to run away like she did when she found out that the tooth fairy isn't real, do you?"

"No, but just in case, keep your floo open," she advised. "So, um, Scor mentioned seeing Freddie and Roxanne at school. They're enjoying themselves?"

George nodded. In the years since the war, he had slowly managed to rebuild his life after his twin brother's death. Months after the battle, he and Angelina Johnson were reunited. She and Fred had been close, and the pair were able to grieve together. Days before the first anniversary of the war, they eloped. Their children were born a year apart, three years before Rose was born.

"They don't see Rosie much," George mentioned. "Could be because of the age difference and houses, I reckon. I hope Rose doesn't feel uncomfortable seeing them."

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, I hope not too," she replied. "I should get back to work. We'll see you tomorrow?"

Smiling, George kissed her cheek and nodded. She left then, returning to the Ministry of Magic. Entering her office, she quickly discovered that she wasn't alone. Harry waited for her, his back to her as he surveyed the photographs that adorned the bookshelves. "Ron told me about the papers," he said, his voice soft.

"Come to talk me out of revoking his rights?" she asked bitterly.

It wasn't until she was seated that Harry turned to her. "The opposite really," he replied. "I know you think I've sided with him because he's my brother-in-law, but you're wrong. You needed space from us, and I understood that. That doesn't mean I supported his actions."

"Good to know," she muttered. "Nine years too late, but good to know."

Sighing, Harry sat down and looked contritely at her. "How do I make this better?" he wondered.

"Find a Time Turner?" Hermione retorted, hating herself for her sarcastic remark. "I don't know, Harry. I know I told you I needed time after the divorce, but I didn't expect you to stay away for a decade. You were in a tough spot, stuck between Ron and me, and I understand that he's family. It would have been nice to have someone in my corner though."

"You got Malfoy," Harry pointed out, smiling at her.

Hermione blushed. "Yes, I do," she agreed. "He's always been so good to Rose, even when we didn't like one another. If he got to the daycare first, he'd pick her up and bring her to me. Then she and Scor would play while I finished working. Or he'd show up with ice cream just when we finished dinner. He'd always bring her favorite - rocky road. He just loved my daughter from the beginning, and she loved him."

Sitting across from her, Harry seemed contemplative. "He knows what it's like to have a terrible father," he remarked. "Lucius may have been around, but we both know he did Malfoy no favors. I've seen him with his son. He always looks happy when they're together."

"Draco is exactly the kind of father I always hoped my child would have," Hermione replied.

Grinning, Harry rose to his feet. "Good, she deserves it," he said. "Look, um, I meant it. If Rose wants, she's welcome at Grimmauld Place over the break. I promise Ginny won't cry over her like her mother did. Or maybe it would be easier to bring Al to you? That is, if the kids want to see each other. I should stop putting the cart before the horse."

Hermione chuckled. "Imagine that - Harry Potter is jumping to conclusions," she teased. "I meant it too, though, when I said it's up to her. After she saw Ron at the school, well, I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"That was his idea, you know," Harry told her as he walked to the door. "Ever since you and Malfoy were outed, that's all he's talked about. I don't know that he really went to see Rose."

Frowning, she hoped Harry was wrong. They said goodbye, but Hermione wasn't alone long. "What was Potter doing here?" Draco inquired. "Do I get to hex him? Can I? Can I? Please, can I?"

"For the love of Merlin, stop that," Hermione replied with a laugh. "You can't hex him."

She told him about the brief conversation she and Harry shared. Draco scowled, frowned, and fumed by the time she was done. "Can I hex Weasley?" he inquired, all humor gone. Once more, she told him no. "Well, do you believe him? That Weasley showed up to spy on you, and not to see his daughter?"

Hermione's eye caught a framed photo of Rose and herself, taken on Christmas morning. "All I care about is her," she stated. "Ron Weasley hasn't mattered in years. He's officially, legally out of our lives. What he thinks of us, whatever Harry's assumptions are, they don't matter to me anymore."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"So, what's the big secret?" Rose wondered when they returned home. Draco eyed her, silently asking her to keep quiet. When Hermione left the room to make lunch, the little girl looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

Sighing, Draco sat down on the sofa. "I'm planning to ask your mother to marry me," he shared, keeping his voice down for fear of being overheard by Hermione. "I wanted to do it while the two of you are home because you should both be here for this. I just wanted to make sure you're okay with it. It affects the two of you just as much as it does us."

Excited by the news, Scorpius nodded. Rose, however, frowned.

"No, it's not that I don't want this," she explained. "Believe me, I do. I just...thought there would be more."

Draco beckoned her to him, and pulled her onto his lap. "What are you hoping for?" he wondered. Rose shrugged as she looked away, refusing to meet his eye. "There are details your mum and I have discussed, things I think will make you happy. But if what we want isn't what you want, you know we won't go through with it. Your opinions matter just as much as ours do."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Cryptic as that was, I want you to marry my mum," she told him, kissing his cheek. "Whether or not what I want to happen happens, you'll still be my dad." Dismounting his lap, she grabbed her bags and ascended the stairs.

"You're gonna adopt her," Scorpius guessed. Smiling, his father nodded. "What about me?"

"What about you?" Draco wondered.

Scorpius moved to sit beside his father. "Is Minnie going to adopt me?" he asked. "Or are you just doing this so Rose will have our last name? And what are we supposed to call you?"

"I'm not supposed to say anything," the older wizard admitted. "I still expect you to call me Dad though. Perhaps 'He Whom I Hold in the Highest Esteem' if you don't mind being so long winded. The kids at school might tease you for it too. I guess, if it's really that important, Dad will suffice."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, but smiled. "I meant Minnie. What do I call her?" he asked. "And what does Rose call you?"

Draco shrugged. "I'm still partial to 'He Whom I Hold in the Highest Esteem.' It's really growing on me," he joked. "I don't know, bud. I guess it's up to you and Rose. Whatever you're comfortable with will be fine with us."

"Does Astoria know?" Scorpius asked, surprising even himself. It had been months since he had thought about his mother.

Once again, his father shrugged. "I don't know what she does or doesn't know," he replied. "As far as I know, she knows only what's been reported in the papers, which isn't much. It didn't seem necessary to tell her anything. Has she contacted you at all?"

Scowling, Scorpius shook his head. With the divorce finalized, his mother was free of the Malfoys. That included him. There were days it saddened him to know his mother didn't love him. Then he remembered Hermione. He reminded himself that from the time he was a toddler, she had cared for him. Hermione loved him as if he were her own, and over the years, he had become hers.

"Do you think Minnie would mind if I called her Mum?" the little boy asked.

"I bet she'd love it," Draco replied. "But you have to keep this a secret. Hermione doesn't know about the proposal, and Rose isn't supposed to know about the adoption until Hermione says yes to my proposal. I take it you've already deduced that she would like to adopt you as well, so let's keep that between us too. Act surprised when she tells you, and don't say a thing to Rosie."

Scorpius grinned. "Ya know, all these years I've thought of her as my sister," he told his father. "Now it'll be true."

He stood and went upstairs to unpack. Hermione returned minutes later with a plate of sandwiches, while a pot of soup and bowls followed her. "I made their favorite," she said with a frown. The food settled itself on the coffee table as Hermione took a seat. "What's going on with them?"

Draco picked up a sandwich and began to eat. "Nothing," he said around a mouthful of food. When she scowled, he flashed her a grin and continued eating. Rose and Scorpius soon joined them, and the quartet enjoyed lunch.

"So, Min," Scorpius eyed her as he pushed away his empty bowl, "when you and Dad, or He Whom I Most Highly Revere as he's now making me call him, get married, can I have my own room?"

Hermione shot Draco a humorous look. "That's not what I said," he insisted. "And yes, Scor, you can have your own room. In the garage. Beneath the car."

The Malfoy men exchanged jokingly contemptuous looks before Hermione interjected. "The guest room is waiting for your personal touch," Hermione informed him. "I didn't know that was something you wanted. I would have had it ready for you."

"Yeah, well, normally I wouldn't mind sharing a room, but Rose has already threatened to toss my stuff out the window if I don't keep her room neat," he informed the adults. Hermione glared at her daughter, who did nothing more than shrug. "In her defense, I did dump all my stuff on her bed. By the way, the trundle is stuck."

"Put your things away in the other room," Draco instructed. "I'll fix the trundle later. Heaven knows we've tried separating the two of you in the past, and it never works."

Hermione laughed as she and Rose began to clean up. "Do you really not want him in your room?" she wondered as she washed the dishes.

Rose held a towel, ready to dry the plates handed to her. "I don't know," she confessed. "We've done everything together since we were little, and I love him. Sometimes I just need some space though. I guess he feels the same way."

"Does it bother you that he wants his own room?"

The little girl sighed. "No, Mum, it doesn't," she replied. "Separate rooms won't change anything between us. A lot of people have walked away from us, but I'm not going to let Scorpius do the same. And I know he won't. We've stuck by each other's sides for too long to let something like separate rooms tear us apart."

Smiling, Hermione leaned in and kissed her daughter's forehead. "My intelligent girl," she murmured.

"Mum, when Draco proposes, are you going to say yes?" Rose asked.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Draco laughed as he entered the master bedroom around midnight. "You'll never guess where your daughter is," he commented, slipping into bed beside Hermione.

"Mars?" she replied. "Because I can already guess that she's in Scorpius's room."

"There's really no keeping them apart," he mused, removing the book from her hand. He made sure to mark the page before setting it on his nightstand. "Kind of like us."

Hermione giggled as she kissed him, and moaned softly as his hands slid beneath her shirt. "Trying for baby number three?" she asked when his lips shifted to her throat.

"Is that something you still want?" he wondered, hovering over her with his weight resting on his arms. Smiling, Hermione nodded. "Do you think it's something we should discuss with the kids? I thought the rule was we discuss everything as a family before making decisions."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she looped her arms around his neck, attempting to kiss him again. "I don't want to talk to them about our sex life," she replied, cringing at the thought. "Can't this just be a surprise? They're gone most of the year anyhow, and I can't see either one objecting to a new addition."

Lowering himself, he brushed his lips against hers. "Seems like sound logic to me," he murmured.

On the other side of the door, Rose scowled. "Disgusting things are going to happen in there tonight," she reported. "They want to have a baby."

"What's wrong with that?" Scorpius wondered.

Backing away from the door, she leaned against the opposite wall. "Nothing," she replied. "I've always wanted a brother or sister. It's just...if they have a baby, it'll be theirs. I'm Mum's, you're Draco's, but the baby would be _theirs_."

Frowning, he stood beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. "Just because Minnie didn't give birth to me doesn't mean I'm not hers," he stated. "She's been a mother to me for a long time. Just because we don't share any genes doesn't make her any less my mother. I always assumed it was that way with you and Dad too."

Rose felt guilty. Draco had always filled the father role left vacant by Ron Weasley. He loved her, dried her tears, and on more than one occasion, slept by her hospital bed. Scorpius was right - their DNA might be different, but she was Draco Malfoy's daughter. "I'm being stupid," she muttered.

Scorpius's arm tightened around her. "No, you're not," he assured her. "Ya know, Dad worries the same way you do. He doesn't think I know, but I've heard him and Minnie talk about it before, even before they started dating. He worried that he might be overstepping his boundaries with you, ya know, playing dad. Remember when you fell off my broom? We were maybe eight or so, and flying in the backyard."

Rose laughed. "I broke my arm in three places and had a concussion," she recalled. "Draco was watching us. I remember how pale he looked as he held me. I don't know who was crying more - him or me."

"He took you to St. Mungo's and didn't come home until the next afternoon," Scorpius continued. "Astoria was livid. He told her exactly where he was and then came to check on me. Merlin, the apologies I got for being stuck with her. But that's when I really knew that he saw you as his."

The bedroom door opened and a thin beam of light illuminated the dark hallway. "I told you I heard voices," Hermione said, smirking at Draco. "What are you doing up?"

"Eavesdropping," Scorpius replied with a smile. "Is now the right time to put in a request a brother?"

Turning away, Draco tried to cover his laughter. "Sorry, sweetheart, we have no control over that," Hermione informed him. "Why are the two of you eavesdropping?"

"Couldn't sleep?" Rose offered. Draco rolled his eyes and she smiled. "I know, I should have been in Slytherin. Plus, we wanted to know if you were going to propose to Mum tonight."

Draco stepped past Hermione and bent down so he and Rose were eye level. "You really think I'd do something like that without the two of you present?" he inquired, hurt that she thought he would go behind her back. Looking away, she shrugged. His fingers latched beneath her chin, turning her head to look at him. "I couldn't do it without you and Scor. Someone's gotta convince your mum to say yes."

"You don't need us for that," she told him.

"Sure I do," Draco replied. Rising to his full height, he entered the bedroom and returned seconds later. Try as he might, he couldn't conceal the black box in his hand. Dropping to one knee, he opened the box to show the ring to Hermione. "Hermione Granger, despite years of hating one another, you are the first woman I've ever loved. Because of you, I have a family, and I want this family to last forever. I love you, and I want to be your husband."

Tears blurred her vision as he held out the ring to slip on her finger. Sniffling, she smiled. "I want to be your wife," she replied, accepting the newest symbol of their commitment to one another. Draco gave her hands a gentle squeeze as he stood to kiss her.

"That's it?" Scorpius wondered. "That's how you propose to the love of your life? Shouldn't there be...I don't know, more?"

Rose elbowed him in the ribs before stepping forward to congratulate them. "I thought it was perfect."

"Yeah, but _more_," Scorpius insisted. "Candlelight, flowers. Not pajamas and the hallway at midnight."

Hermione continued to smile as she examined the small diamond now on her hand. "Scor, I promise you that one day you'll realize that it doesn't matter _how_ you ask, but _who_ you ask," she explained. "And maybe your who will like candlelight and flowers and grand, romantic gestures. Or maybe you'll be with someone who loves the fact that she was proposed to surrounded by the people she loves most in the whole world. I think your dad nailed it. Now, will you come over here and give me a hug?"

Grinning, he complied, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I'm really happy for you," he whispered in her ear. "I've wanted you to be my mum for a long time."

Feeling hopeful, she pulled back to look him in the eye. "Would you object to me adopting you?" she wondered.

Excitement lit his gray eyes and he hugged her again. "Really?" he asked. "So, you're really gonna be my mum? Do I get to call you Mum?"

While Hermione and Scorpius celebrated, Draco pulled Rose aside. "Something bothering you?" he wondered, smoothing back her red locks.

"If Mum adopts Scor, does that mean you're adopting me?" she asked. "Because I really want you to. I want you to be my dad. I want to be a Malfoy. But most of all, I want you to promise me that you'll never leave us."

He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. "I love you too much to ever give you up."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Hermione was never sure how it happened, but she was once again front page news. The headline announced her engagement to Pureblood Villain, Draco Malfoy. She scowled as she tossed it in the trash without bothering to read the rest.

"No paper this morning?" Draco asked when he entered the kitchen for breakfast.

"No, and we're cancelling our subscription," she muttered as she made pancakes. "How do they do it? Have they bugged our house?"

Draco eyed her dubiously. "We have bugs?" he asked.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. "No, it means they've been listening in on us," she explained. "How else could they possibly know that we're engaged? It only happened a few days ago."

"Well, I did have to go out to buy the ring," he said, making a fresh pot of coffee. "And we did go back to get it resized yesterday. Plenty of people saw the ring on your finger. I don't think anyone from the _Prophet_ 'bugged' our house. Did you not want people to know?"

She turned to face him, and felt guilty for having put a frown on his face. "Draco, I would love nothing more than to shout it from the rooftops that I get marry you," she replied, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I just wanted our announcement to be...well, _our_ announcement. I don't know who I felt deserved to hear it from us, but the option to do it that way would have been nice."

"The kids know. That's all that matters," he said softly. "I can't think of anyone else as important as them. All I care about is that they were there when it happened. If people find out, they find out."

Hermione nodded, knowing he was right. Their children, who tiredly stumbled into the kitchen for breakfast, were all that mattered. Returning to the stove, she finished cooking and sat down to eat with her family. This was how they were meant to be - together. In only a few hours, they would be returning to Kings Cross Station to put Rose and Scorpius on the Hogwarts Express.

"Min? What's wrong?" Scorpius asked, blond brows furrowed with worry.

All eyes turned to her, and Hermione attempted to smile. "It just makes me sad when you have to leave," she told him.

"Yeah, but with us gone, you and Dad can get started on that baby without being interrupted," he replied.

Draco, seated across from his son, threw a napkin at him. "Don't be crass," he admonished. "And clean off the table. Oh, and don't think I forgot about that grounding. When you come home for the summer, that's going into effect."

Scorpius rolled his eyes as he stacked their dirty plates. "Yeah, that one day," he muttered.

"Keep that up, and it'll be one week," Draco retorted.

Beside him, Rose groaned. "Is this really what it's like to live with boys?" she asked her mother. "If so, I'm moving out."

Laughing, Draco wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as he could while she remained on her chair. "You're mine, little girl. You're not allowed to leave me," he informed her. Rose giggled as his hold on her tightened. She begged him to let go, but Draco held on. "Promise me you'll never leave, and I'll let go."

"You just agreed to be my dad. I'm not giving that up," she told him. Draco kissed the top of her head and let her go. "And on that note, I have to finish packing so I can leave the two of you."

She kissed Draco's cheek as she passed, and laughed when he called her a brat. With the table clear, Scorpius reclaimed his seat next to Hermione. "Do I have to go back?" he asked, flashing pleading, pathetic, gray eyes at her. As a child, he had used those eyes to bend her to his will, and he hoped it would work once more.

"I don't want you to go either," she admitted, smoothing back his blond locks. "But it's not up to me."

He added a pout. "But you're my mum," he insisted. "It could be up to you."

Across from him, Draco laughed loudly, and let Hermione know this was hers to handle. "Sweetheart, you have to go to school," she told him. "You promised me back in September that you'd keep an eye on Rosie for me. You can't do that if you're not with her. She needs you."

Sighing, he stood and hugged her before agreeing to go back to school. "I don't remember the two of you talking at the train station," Draco commented when they were alone.

"He sent me a letter their first night apologizing that he couldn't say goodbye to me because Astoria was there," she shared as they left the kitchen to get ready for the day. "But he told me he'd miss me, and promised to take care of Rose since I couldn't. He told me he'd make sure no trolls attack her in the bathroom."

Draco chuckled, recalling how amused Rose was by that story, but also how terrified his son was. When his Hogwarts letter came, that was the first fear he voiced. "Merlin, what would they have done if we didn't get along?" he wondered.

"Marry each other?" Hermione guessed. "I don't know. They'd definitely find a way to be together. There is no separating them. It almost makes me feel guilty about having another baby."

"Are you...?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

She shook her head. "No, at least I don't think so," she replied. "I just meant somewhere down the line."

Placing his hands on her face, he kissed her softly. "Having a baby won't tear them apart," he promised. "And they wouldn't ignore the baby. Who knows maybe our kid will find a best friend like those two did."

Hermione breathed softly as she leaned into him. "I hope you're right," she murmured.

They held each other, lost in the moment and their own thoughts about their expanding family, when Rose and Scorpius announced that they were ready to go. In seconds, they stood on Platform 9 3/4. Hermione froze when she spotted Ron standing feet away. "What's he doing here?" she heard Rose ask. Curious herself, she walked over to her glowering ex-husband, and demanded to know why he had come.

"Well, I've been doing some thinking since you came by and forced me to sign over my rights to Rose," he began, his cheeks reddening. "See, I seem to recall sending her letters, apologizing for leaving her, asking to see her. I wonder - did she ever see them?"

Taking hold of his arm, Hermione led him away from the crowd gathered around them. "No, she didn't," she said when they found a secluded spot. "You left. You walked out on me, you walked out on Rose. So, yes, I kept them from her because I didn't want my daughter to get hurt whenever you decided to walk out again."

"You kept her from me," he accused.

"And you gave her up." Hermione turned, but stopped short when she saw her daughter standing behind her.

Rose stared only at her mother. "The train is boarding."


	17. Chapter 17

There were some mixed reactions to the previous chapter. Here comes some explanations!

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Chapter 17

"I got a letter from Rose," Draco said, his voice flat. With shaky fingers, Hermione held the letter and read it. In the letter, she told Draco about the conversation she had overheard between Ron and her mother. She wanted to see the letters that her mother had hid, and questioned whether or not she should forgive Ron. "So, all those years of saying he had no interest in seeing her, that was a lie?"

Hermione shook her head frantically, her eyes pleading with him to believe her. "Rose was two when he left, and the three letters he sent stopped coming by the time she was four," she explained. "He remarried, and lost all interest in seeing her. I was angry and hurt and terrified that he would take her away from me. Until he signed those papers, I lived in fear of that. Rose was all I had. I couldn't lose her too."

Sighing, he sat down on the sofa and ran his hands over his face. "You should have told her," he said. "She had a right to know that at some point in her life her father wanted to see her. Maybe she wouldn't be so angry with him if she thought he made an effort."

"If you were in my shoes, if Astoria suddenly decided she wanted to be a part of Scor's life, would you let her?" Hermione wondered, sitting down in front of him. "If the mother who ignored him, wanted nothing to do with him, suddenly wanted back in. What would you have done?"

Draco shook his head, unable to look at her. "It's different," he muttered. Scoffing, Hermione demanded to know how. "Astoria didn't abandon him when he was two years old. She didn't write letters, asking to see him at an age when he couldn't make that decision for himself. _You_ chose to push Weasley away by not allowing him to see Rose, and I understand your reasons for doing it. It doesn't make it right, though."

"He didn't have to give up," she countered. "He could have written to her when she was older, asked to see her then, but he didn't. He stopped caring. He moved on with his life, and we moved on with ours."

"And what if we don't last?" he wondered. "What if we have a baby of our own? Would you keep me away?"

Leaning forward, she took hold of his hands. "No, I wouldn't," she replied softly. "I wouldn't if you made a real effort. You asked me to trust you when you said that we wouldn't be like Ron and me. I need you to trust me on this. I was trying to protect my daughter, keep her from getting hurt all over again."

He stared at their joined hands. "I know what it's like to have a spouse who ignores and upsets my kid. I will never do anything that hurts Scor or Rosie," he told her. "Merlin, I hate how sad and betrayed she looked when we put her on the train. I didn't know what happened until she sent me that letter. Were you ever going to tell her?"

"I don't know," she confessed. "It just seemed...easier not to. I'll make it right with her though."

Sighing, he let go of her hands. "I should answer her back," he said. Nodding, she got to her feet and walked to the front door. "Going somewhere?"

She assured him she would be back soon, but kept her destination a secret. For days she had felt under the weather, but hid it from her family that anything was amiss. The symptoms were familiar to those she experienced before discovering she was pregnant with her only child. Arriving in town, she entered the local pharmacy and browsed the pregnancy tests. Two boxes in hand, she studied each to determine which was the best.

"That one's good."

Hermione looked to her left and her eyes widened. "Parkinson?" she asked dumbfoundedly. Smiling, Pansy Parkinson approached, took the box from her right hand, and put it back on the shelf.

"Long time no see, Granger," she replied. "It's been awhile. You know, spells are much more reliable than those things, but that test is pretty accurate."

"This is the muggle world. You know that, right?" Hermione asked.

Running a hand through her dark hair, Pansy nodded. "I know. I've lived here for awhile now," she replied. "So, who's the father? Word is you and Weasley broke up a long time ago."

"It's, um, Draco Malfoy's," Hermione replied. "We've been together for a few months. I guess that news hasn't reached you here yet?"

Pansy led her to checkout, and waited patiently while Hermione paid for her purchase. Wary though she was her former enemy, Hermione followed her outside and the pair walked around London together. "I don't keep up with the wizarding world anymore," Pansy admitted. "After the war, it was easier to leave. No one wanted to talk to, let alone hire, the girl who tried to hand over Harry Potter to the Dark Lord. So, I left."

"How do you afford it?" Hermione wondered. Death Eaters and sympathizers had been forced to pay reparations for their part in the war. Pansy's father had been by Voldemort's side from the beginning. While he was in prison, her mother had been forced to hand over the majority of their vaults.

Pansy shrugged. "I married rich," she replied with a smile. "I got lucky. Adrian and I could actually tolerate each other. Made the arranged marriage a whole lot easier. Anyhow, he agreed to living here pretty early on. So, you and Draco? That's a match I never expected. I thought he was married."

"Divorced," Hermione replied as they entered a cafe and ordered coffees. "We've actually been friends for years."

"The kind of friends who have a baby together?" Pansy wondered, raising an eyebrow. Hermione blushed and looked away, recalling the conversation she and Draco had had before she left. "Why don't you seem excited about the prospect of having a baby?"

Hermione shrugged. She didn't know Pansy well enough to share her deepest, darkest secrets. As friendly as she seemed, Hermione didn't know if she could be trusted. "Um, the age gap," she replied. "Rose will be twelve next month, and Scor's birthday is only weeks after. It's just a huge difference."

Pansy nodded. "We just have the one, and she's seven," she shared. "But Ade wants another. Let me know how it works out. Maybe I'll give in. It would be nice to have a baby in the house again, don't you think?"

Smiling, Hermione couldn't disagree. Feeling a bit emboldened by their conversation, Hermione excused herself to take the test. Minutes later, she returned to the table, her face unreadable. Pansy begged, pleaded, and badgered her for the results, but Hermione kept them to herself. "Don't you think that if I'm pregnant, my fiance should know first?" she asked.

"But if you're not, what's the harm in telling me?" Pansy countered.

"Draco gets to know first, either way," Hermione replied, getting to her feet. "It was good to see you. We should do this again sometime." Pansy agreed, and promised to call to make plans. Returning home, Hermione found Draco in the living room with a book. "Hey, I have news."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"What kind of news?" Draco wondered, shutting his book.

Taking a deep breath, she approached him. "The thing I went out to do...I've been feeling a bit under the weather lately," she explained. "So, I bought a pregnancy test, and two lines means positive. Also, I had coffee with Pansy Parkinson."

She showed him the test, which he eyed curiously. "We're having a baby?" he asked. Biting her lip, she nodded. "Are you...this is accurate?"

"Pretty accurate," she replied. "We can schedule an appointment at St. Mungo's to make sure. Are you alright with this?" Too stunned to speak, he nodded. Pulling her down onto his lap, he kissed her softly. "Are you still mad at me?" she asked when she pulled away.

Arms tightened around her waist. "I'm not mad," he assured her. "I panicked. I had some doubts. I wasn't mad though. I want you to know that if anything ever happened to you and me, I'd never leave our kids. Being in their lives is the most important thing to me. Walking away from them isn't even an option."

"I love you," she murmured against his lips.

"No more secrets?" he asked, holding her close.

Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder. "This one time in fifth year, I was waiting near the changing rooms for Harry to come out after a game. You walked by without your sweater on. I stared," she shared. "I stared for awhile."

Draco chuckled softly. "I told Rose about our conversation," he told her. "I'm hoping it makes her feel a little bit better. She's going to understand why you did what you did. The fact that seven years went by without a word from Ron has to mean something. Luckily she inherited her mother's logic and reason."

"And my stubbornness and ability to hold a grudge," she reminded him. "You might not be mad at me, but she certainly will be. Merlin, she's going to talk you out of marrying me, convince you that you can find someone better."

He kissed a trail from her temple to cheek to ear. "I told you - I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. "You're stuck with me now, Granger."

"I'm good with that," she replied.

His hand rested on her stomach as a solemn look crossed his face. "So, onto more pressing matters," he decided. "Did you really spend the morning with Pansy Parkinson?"

00000000

Rose scowled as she read Draco's letter. "Of course he's defending her," she muttered. "Am I really supposed to believe that Ron just stopped writing to me?"

Scorpius sighed. He'd been listening to Rose's complaints about her mother since they boarded the train. "Did he ever try to contact you any other way?" he inquired. "Floo calls, visits, messages through your uncle? Because I'm pretty sure the answer is no. A few letters go unanswered, and he just gives up. Sorry, but I'm on Minnie's side with this one. She had her reasons for what she did, and I think you should cut her some slack."

"Would you? If Draco had done something like this to you, would you cut him some slack?" Rose wondered.

Sighing, he nodded. "Yes, I would," he replied. "Our situations are different though. My mother would make promises and break them, but Dad was always there to fulfill them. You didn't know that Ron was making promises, or whether or not he'd fulfill them, but Minnie has always been there, Rosie. We both know she'd do anything to make sure you're happy."

"And Ron wouldn't have made me happy," she murmured. "He left once, right? What's to say he wouldn't leave again? Why did he stop trying, though?"

Scorpius put his arm around her shoulders and stared at the crackling fire. "He got a new family, and so did you," was his reply. "It's no excuse for a parent to ignore their kid, but at least you got a nice substitute."

As she leaned into his side, she looked up and smiled. "I got the best substitute," she told him. "Do you think he noticed that I called him dad in my letter?"

Laughing, Scorpius nodded. "Oh, he noticed, and he'll never let you call him Draco again," he replied. "How do you think Min's handling this? You're writing letters to Dad to complain about her. I thought the usual Granger way was that you and your mum talked first, got all the facts. I can't remember a time the two of you were mad at each other."

Sitting up, Rose shrugged. "This time is different," she said sadly. "We've never kept things from each other. I understand that she was protecting me, but-"

"But nothing," Scorpius interjected as he pulled away from her. "She was protecting you from someone who walked out on you. You're acting like you hate her, even though you know she did the right thing. She kept a few letters from you. So what? Do you really think you'd be better off if Ron Weasley had come to visit you once or twice when you were a toddler?"

He got up, ready to leave her, when she grabbed his hand. "Hey, I'm sorry," she told him, her voice soft and contrite. "I didn't think this would upset you. I'm sorry, Scor."

Sighing, he looked down at the hand that held his wrist. "You don't get it," he muttered. "You don't understand what it's like to have a parent actively in your life who doesn't want to be there. What's that thing Minnie always says? Ignorance is bliss? You got that. I got a mother who made sure I knew that I wasn't wanted. I envied you. You knew every day of your life that you were loved. Minnie never let you believe that you weren't wanted."

Standing, she hugged the boy who had become her brother. "Mum never let you believe that either," she reminded him.

"Then understand that what she did was done for your benefit," he advised. "Forgive her. Don't let her think you're mad at her."

00000000

A owl waited on the kitchen windowsill when Hermione returned home from work. She smiled when she saw the bird, recognizing it immediately as Scorpius's trusted owl. Holding out her hand, she accepted the note and fed the bird before it flew away. Rose's neat scrawl greeted her when she opened it. A smile touched her lips as she read the short note, the words her daughter's way of clearing the air.

_I still love you._


	19. Chapter 19

Only a couple chapters left! Also, my mom congratulated me the other night for eating two brownies. Like real, genuine, heartfelt congratulations. Should that concern me?

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Chapter 19

Professor Flitwick eyed Rose and Scorpius as they practiced levitation charms. In his hand was a recently delivered note from the headmistress. Nervously, he approached the pair, fearful that they were in trouble. He handed the note to Rose and watched as she quietly packed up her belongings. Scorpius followed her from the classroom, and they walked in silence to Headmistress McGonagall's office.

"I hate being summoned here," Scorpius muttered. "What do you think we're in trouble for now?"

Rose shrugged as they entered the office to find their parents waiting for them. "Who died?" she asked.

Draco chuckled as he stepped forward and picked her up. "No one, Miss Morbid," he replied. "Your mum and I came to bust you out of this place for the day."

Rose's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Again I ask - who died?"

He set her down and turned his attention to his son. Rose hugged her mother and allowed Hermione to hold her close. "And I thought you two would be happy to see us," she remarked. "Plus a day away from school, who doesn't like that?"

"You?" Scorpius suggested.

Draco gave the little boy's shoulder a playful nudge. "Smart aleck," he muttered. "So, are the two of you up to coming with us, or not?"

The children agreed and followed their parents through the castle. They walked behind the adults, quietly speculating about their sudden, surprise appearance. It was unusual for parents to visit the school, only coming when there was an emergency. Draco had promised that no one had passed away, but neither child could think of a reason for their parents to come to Hogwarts.

Draco and Hermione led their family through Hogsmeade and stopped in front of the village's courthouse. "Are we in trouble?" Scorpius wondered, genuinely confused by the location.

Shaking his head, Draco looked to Hermione for permission to reveal their plans. "We want to get married today, and the two of you should be there," he explained. "While we're here, we'll also be able to file the adoption paperwork."

"Why today? What's so special about a Tuesday?" Rose wondered.

"Today is the day, nine long years ago, that the two of you met for the first time," Hermione explained. "It's the day this weird, wonderful family began."

Scorpius smiled. "Seems perfect to me," he said.

But Rose appeared to have some doubts. "Don't you think it's a bit soon?" she wondered. "I mean, you only just got engaged a couple of weeks ago. What's the rush?"

Hermione looked down as a delicate blush colored her cheeks. "Well, we wanted our wedding day to be a day that meant something to us," she said. "And we didn't want to wait because...I'm pregnant."

Rose's dark eyes widened as she slipped her hand into the pocket of her school robes. Beside her, Scorpius grinned victoriously as she handed him a sickle. "You made a bet about how soon your mother and I would have a baby?" Draco inquired, blond brows rising.

"Yeah, and Scor won. I figured you'd wait," she replied.

Frowning, Hermione held out her hand to her daughter and led her away to speak in private. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said. "I know this is a lot to spring on you at once. And after everything that's come to light recently, I'm sorry that we kept this from you."

Rose sat down on a nearby bench. "No, Mum, I swear I'm not mad," she replied. "And I shouldn't have gotten upset about those letters. I understand why you did it, and I'm okay. It's just...what if history repeats itself? You and Ron married quickly and had a baby, and then he left. I'm scared that he might leave too."

Her little girl's fear and pain broke her heart. Hermione held her daughter close, guiding her head to rest against her shoulder. "Draco's not Ron," she promised. "After all, he's stuck by us all these years. I have never met anyone who loves you as much as he does. He wants you to be his daughter. He wants to be a permanent part of your life. I don't believe that he'd ever be able to leave us."

Nodding, Rose walked back to Draco. She stood before him, his resolve steely as she eyed him. "Don't ever hurt her," she said.

Bending down, he tucked a curl behind her ear and smiled softly. "I swear to you, Rose, I will never hurt your mother," he promised. "I love the both of you too much. In fact, there's something I want you to have."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small black box and opened it. Inside was a simple silver bracelet with the inscription Rose Malfoy. "You mean it?" she asked, holding out her wrist so he could put the jewelry on her.

"Consider it to be my engagement ring to you," he said as he fastened the clasp. "Because the way I see it, I'm not just making this commitment to your mother. I'm making it to you as well."

With tears in her eyes, Rose hugged him. "Thanks...Daddy," she murmured. The word sounded strange in her ears, but she liked it anyway.

Grinning ear to ear, he asked, "Is it okay if I marry your mum today then?"

Taking his hand, she led him to the courthouse's door. "Absolutely."

An hour later, the new family left the courthouse for The Three Broomsticks. Hermione and Draco exchanged vows, rings, and tears while their children bared witness to the occasion. As soon as they signed their marriage certificate, the adoption papers were filed. Hermione had promised her daughter that she would speak with the headmistress about her new last name.

They sat down, Scorpius and Rose on one side, and Hermione and Draco on the other. While the others studied the menu, Scorpius looked expectantly at his parents, waiting to catch their attention. When Hermione noticed, she put down her menu and smiled at him. "Is my last name going to be Granger now?" he inquired.

Hermione bit her lip to keep from laughing. "You, my dear, will always be a Malfoy," she told him. "This was just...adopting you has some pretty practical purposes. If something happened to you and your dad isn't around, I can make decisions on your behalf. More important than that though, adopting you is my way of telling you just how much I love you. I love you so much that I want to be your mum."

Rounding the table, he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Mum," he whispered.


	20. Chapter 20

I need book recommendations! I've got one chapter left of _Allegiant _and nothing on the horizon. It's like being without my right arm not having something else to read.

* * *

Chapter 20

Scorpius and Rose spent the night with the parents before returning to the castle early the next morning. Albus Potter waited outside of the Great Hall for his cousin to return. "You guys really got to leave school? And your parents let you?" he asked excitedly as the Malfoy children entered for breakfast. "_McGonagall_ let you?"

"My parents got married. Why wouldn't she?" Rose wondered.

Al looked confused. "But Uncle Ron is already married," he pointed out.

Rose rolled her eyes and entered the hall. "Her mum and my dad," Scorpius informed him before following his sister. Al joined them at the Ravenclaw table, waiting for details. It was rare for students to be allowed to leave school grounds, and it fascinated him that the pair had been granted permission to do so. "What?" Scorpius asked as he spooned scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"Nothing. I just didn't know your parents were getting married," Al replied. Across from him, Rose rolled her eyes and muttered something about front page news. "Was it weird watching your parents get married?"

Scorpius shook his head. "We've been begging them to do it for years," he said. "And I've never seen my dad so happy. It was really cool."

Al looked to Rose then. "So, if your mum is married to someone else, does that mean we're not cousins anymore?" he wondered.

Rose sighed. Albus was a sweet boy, and she hated the idea of hurting his feelings. "Al, we were never really cousins," she told him. Nodding solemnly, Al left their table for his own. Rose continued to eat, but felt angry eyes upon her. "What?"

"Was that necessary?" Scorpius asked.

She shrugged, but pushed away her plate. "It's true," she insisted. "His family has never been my family. I wish he would just accept that. I have a whole new family, one that wants me."

0000000000

The wedding announcement made the front page, but for the first time, it was the Malfoys' doing. Hermione smiled as she read it while sipping her morning tea. "What are you doing up this early?" Draco wondered, joining her on the balcony. "This is our honeymoon. We're not supposed to leave the bed."

Smiling, she kissed her husband. "I wanted to see what Paris looked like at this hour," she replied. "Besides, we've already done everything the bed is required for. Or have you forgotten about the person growing inside of me?"

"It's also used for sleep," he pointed out. "You're going to need it. In a few months' time, you're going to be very busy with nappy changes and feedings at all hours of the night. I can't imagine how soon it'll be before you get a good night's sleep again."

She scowled as she set aside the newspaper. "You're not serious," she remarked. "I did that the first time around, and my husband resented me for it. Besides, you've repeatedly told me you won't be Ron. Ron never lifted a finger."

Draco laughed uproariously. "This is where Rosie gets it from, this devious Slytherin behavior," he replied. "I intend to lift fingers. All of them, in fact. That's my child too, and my situation the first time around wasn't so different from yours. Astoria was content to let house elves raise my son, but I wasn't. I loved spending that time with Scor, and I have a feeling we're going to be fighting each other to do everything for the baby."

Moving from her chair to his lap, she kissed him. "We'll make a schedule," she compromised. "I'll take midnight and four o'clock feedings, you can have two and six. Or the other way around, if that suits you better. How long before the _Prophet_ finds out about this development?"

"Might not be long," he murmured. "Knowing our kids, all of Hogwarts knows, which means at least some of the parents might. Thank Merlin Rita Skeeter never procreated. I wouldn't be surprised if Potter and the Weasleys know though. Scor mentioned Albus Potter talks to them a lot. Is Rose still not handling that well?"

Hermione shrugged. "She seemed okay to me," she replied. "Although, I'm still convinced that she wants nothing to do with them. Being a Malfoy is the only thing our little girl cares about."

"She did look really happy," Draco agreed. "I was worried she might have some objections to the way we went about everything. Rosie's always been a bit harder to please than Scor, but she gave me her blessing."

"Yeah, after you bribed her," his wife pointed out. Draco blushed, and asked how she knew. "I saw the bracelet. She said it was a gift from her dad."

Glancing at the city in front of him, Draco said, "It wasn't a bribe. I didn't think I'd need to bribe her. However, I did know that I needed to do something to earn her trust. That was the only thing I could think of."

Holding his chin, she turned his head to look at her. "She does trust you," she murmured, kissing his lips. "Rose loves you. And yes, she inherited her mother's hesitancy, but she knows that you'll never hurt her."

Draco nodded and looked away once more. "I know. I just needed to be sure she knew," he replied.

0000000000

They returned home a week later to a windowsill littered with letters. Carefully, Hermione picked through them, separating important notifications from friends' letters. One on top of the pile caught her eye. "We got a letter from Harry," she told her husband. "What do you think he has to say?"

Draco took the letter from her hand. "Probably wondering what spell I've had you under all this time, and he's issuing a warrant for my arrest," he replied. Tearing open the envelope, his eyes moved quickly over the page. "Or he's congratulating us."

Hermione snatched the letter from his hand and read it quickly, feeling her cheeks warm with anger. "What does he think the point of this is?" she demanded. "We've talked maybe half a dozen times in the last decade, and now he's congratulating us? Ooh, the nerve."

Laughing, he took the note from her and set it aside. "Please be the hormones," he muttered. "Are you really upset that he's happy for us? Because we also got a letter from Pansy, who I haven't spoken to in ten years and you've talked to once."

Sighing, Hermione sat down at the kitchen table and closed her eyes. "The worry doesn't go away," she admitted. "Where there's Harry, there's Weasleys. Harry might be alright with everything that's happened, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable being his friend again. That's not my family anymore, and it hasn't been in a long time. I have a new family now, one that really wants me."


	21. Epilogue

Here it is - the end! Thank you for the book recommendations, and to the reviewer who complained that my writing is too American, sorry. Also, there are really no courthouses in the UK?

* * *

Epilogue

Hermione held her six month old daughter, Victoria, close to her chest as she awaited the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. The platform was crowded, and she had lost her husband when a coworker had pulled him aside. Spotting Harry and George, she smiled as she approached them. George took the giggling baby from her mother's arms.

"Merlin, I can't believe how big this nugget has gotten," George remarked. "It seems like she was just born last week."

Chuckling, Hermione disagreed. "You've clearly forgotten about the sleepless nights and multiple nappy changes and constant crying," she replied. "To be honest, I had too. Thank God for Draco. Most nights, he's casting charms to keep me from hearing her cry so he can handle the nighttime feedings."

"You should put the kids to work on those," George suggested. "Every time Freddie and Rox ask for a sibling, we mention that little stipulation and they stop asking."

Draco finally caught up to his wife. "Are you kidding? We're never going to see Victoria again once those two are home," he told the two men. "Christmas was a mess, the two of them fighting over who got to do what with their baby sister. Although, Pansy wasn't much help. Apparently godmothers trump siblings."

"That'll wear off," Harry advised. "James and Al were like that when Lily was born. It lasted about two weeks before we received requests to give her back to St. Mungo's."

It was Victoria's birth that brought Harry back into Hermione's life. Fred and Angelina had been invited to the house to meet the newborn, and Harry asked if he could tag along. Though hesitant to say yes, Hermione gave him permission to come. Scorpius had been starstruck to have The Boy Who Lived in his home. Rose, on the other hand, kept her distance, staying by Draco's side while Harry was around.

The train pulled up and the doors opened. Streams of happy children, glad for another year complete and a summer vacation, ran to their families. Draco surveyed the crowd, looking for his own children, and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted them. Scorpius and Rose ran to him and hugged their father tightly.

"Why's Harry here?" Rose whispered.

Draco shrugged almost imperceptibly. "Probably to pick up his kids," he guessed. "Don't worry though. Ron's not here."

The little girl breathed a sigh of relief. The year before, Ron had shown up at the train station, intent on seeing the new family. When Rose spotted him, she had marched up to him and told him he had no business being there. After all, he had no children in the school and she was now a Malfoy. There had been pain in his eyes when she informed him of her new last name, a pain she almost relished. It was the last time she saw him.

"Can we go home now?" Rose asked as she hugged her mother.

Hermione chuckled. "Can you say hello to your uncles?" she asked in reply.

Rose turned and did as her mother requested. "Now can we go home?"

Handing Victoria back to Hermione, George pulled Rose to his side. "Are you telling me, my favorite niece, that you're not excited to see me?" he asked. "That I, your favorite uncle, am less interesting than whatever is happening in your empty, empty house?"

"Do you really think it's fair to call me your favorite niece in front of Harry who has a daughter who's also your niece?" she wondered.

George shrugged, giving Harry an apologetic look. "He'll just have to accept that you're my favorite," he replied. "Now, tell me what's so great about going home?"

Rose looked longingly at her parents. "I just really like home," she said.

He removed his arm from her shoulders and tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "You come see me over the summer, you hear?" he asked. "It better not be September the next time I see you. And tell that brother of yours he's more than welcome to come too. There's no need for him to avoid the shop. Remember what I told you - your family is my family."

Rose nodded. "I'll let him know, my favorite uncle," she replied, hugging him goodbye. She gave a hesitant wave to Harry and returned to her family as James, Albus, Freddie, and Roxie joined their fathers. The Malfoys left, returning home. Leaving her trunk and bags by the door, Rose flopped onto the sofa.

Draco sat down beside her as Scorpius followed Hermione upstairs to put Victoria down for a nap. "What's going on?" he asked. "Why were you in such a rush to come home?"

She glanced at the stairs, checking to be sure they were really alone. "I got a letter from Ron," she admitted. "He asked if he could come see me at the train. I told him no, that I didn't want him to. I was afraid that he might though. Mum always said he wasn't much for listening."

Sighing, he held her close. "Do you not want to see him because you really don't want to, or are you worried about hurting someone else's feelings?" he wondered.

"I really don't want to," she told him. "And while I never want to hurt you or Mum, it never occurred to me that you might be upset if I did. Nice as it is that he's finally reaching out, he gave me up a long time ago. I don't know. Maybe I should thank him for letting me having a new dad."

"Does your mother know that he wrote to you?" Draco asked.

Sitting up, she shook her head. "No, and Daddy, please don't tell her," she replied. "I know she still feels guilty about what she could have done and should have done and didn't do, and I'd just rather not add the stress of this. She's got enough to worry about. Ron shouldn't be on her mind too."

"You're a good girl," he murmured, kissing the top of her head. "Now, go put your things away."

Later that night, Draco folded laundry and Hermione readied Victoria for bed. Scorpius and Rose sat in their room, both happy to sleep in their own beds. The trundle bed was gone, and a real one took its place beside Rose's. "Mum's worried about you," Scorpius said as he unpacked.

"When isn't she?" Rose wondered with a roll of her eyes. "You didn't tell her about Ron, did you?"

Scorpius shook his head as he sat down. "You told Dad though, which means he'll tell Mum," he warned his sister. "We both know secrets don't stay secrets between them. Well, except about that tea cup. I don't think Mum knows that I broke it."

"Oh, she does, but she's not going to hold something that happened when you were four over your head," Rose replied. "Maybe it would be better if Dad told her about this. At least I won't have to."

There was a knock on the door, and Draco entered. "Rosie, your mother needs you for a moment," he told her.

Leaving her bed, she heard her brother wish her luck as she followed her father to the master bedroom. "Am I in trouble?" she asked, shutting the door behind her.

Hermione shook her head and beckoned her to join her on the bed. Carefully, she shifted a sleeping Victoria into her sister's arms. "Daddy told me about the letter," she admitted. "I'm proud of you."

"For telling the man who gave me life that I wanted nothing to do with him?" Rose clarified.

"No, for making the decision on your own," her mother replied. "All I've ever wanted for you was to have a good, happy life."

Smiling, Rose placed her head on Hermione's arm. "That's all you've ever given me," she said.

The End


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